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THOUGHTS  AND  EXPERIENCES 

IN  AND  OUT  OF  SCHOOL 


BY 

JOHN  B.  PEASLEE,  LLB.,  Ph.D., 

Ex-Superintendent  of  the  Public  Schools  of 
Cincinnati.  Ohio 


ACCOMPANIED  BY  LETTERS  FROM 

LONGFELLOW,  WHITTIER,  HOLMES, 

AND  OTHER  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 


Printed  for  the  Author  by 

CURTS  &  JENNINGS,  CINCINNATI,  OHIO 

1900 

MAY    1908 


Copyright  by  JOHN  B.  PEASLEE,  1899 


Education 
Library 


DEDICATION 

"  My  Boys  and  Girls,"  former  pupils  in  Plaistow 
and  Newton,  New  Hampshire,  Groveland,  Mas- 
sachusetts, Columbus  and  Cincinnati,  Ohio : 

To  you  this  volume  is  affectionately  dedicated. 
May  you  find  in  it  something  to  remind  you  of  those 
happy  days  of  your  childhood  and  youth,  when  we 
were  associated  together  in  the  public  schools. 

Sincerely  yours, 

JOHN  B.  PEASLEE. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE. 

LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS,  ...............  9 

SKETCH  OP  THE  LIFE  OF  JOHN  B.  PEASLEE,    ......    11 

MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  IN  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS,    .  31 

Mistakes  in  Teaching,   .............  34 

Gems  of  Literature,   ..............  40 

How  to  Teach  Gems  of  Literature,  .......  47 

Teachers   Should   Familiarize  Themselves  with 

Good  Books,  ................  51 

Author-day  Celebrations,    ...........  51 

How  to  Prepare  for  a  Celebration,    .......  53 

Declamations  and  School  Exhibitions  ......  56 

Children  are  Interested  in  Gem  Learning,    ...  60 

Remarks  of  a  Nonagenarian,  ..........  61 

Dime-novel  Reading,  ..............  63 

The  Importance  of  Reading  Good  Books,    ...  66 

Neatness  and  Beauty  of  Execution,    ......  67 

School-room  Decorations,    ...........  71 

Portraits  for  the  Schools,  ...........  72 

Portraits  of  Webster,   .............  74 

Bands  of  Mercy,  ................  76 

Conclusion,     ..................  78 

MORAL  INSTRUCTION  THROUGH  LITERATURE,  .   .  80 
List  of   Selections   Taught   by  a   B   Grade 

Teacher,  ................  88 

Opinions  of  Principals  and  Teachers,  ....  92 

Report  of  the  French  Commission,    ....  97 

Boards  of  Education  Should  Act,    .....  99 

Revival  of  American  Literature,  ......  100 

ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY,  ...........  101 

Organization  of  the  Cincinnati  Forestry  Club,  .  103 

Visit  of  the  Von  Steubens,  ...........  104 

3 


4  CONTENTS 

Origin  of  School  Arbor-day —                                         PAGE. 
Colonel  De  Beck  Conceives  the  Idea  of  Organiz- 
ing an  American  Forestry  Congress,   ....  107 

Conference  in  Judge  Higley's  Office, 108 

Organization  of  the  Projectors  of  the  Congress,  109 
Superintendent   Peaslee's   Plan  of   Celebration 

Adopted, 110 

Governor  Foster  Issues  a  Proclamation,    ....  Ill 
Board  of  Education  and  Board  of  Public  Works 

Take  Action, 112 

Authors  Selected,  and  the  Schools  begin  Prep- 
arations,    113 

The  Procession  and  the  Part  Taken  by  Pupils  in 

the  Actual  Planting, 114 

Celebration  in  Author's  Grove, 115 

Ralph  Waldo  Emerson  Dies 116 

The  Planting  of  the  "  Steuben  Oaks," 116 

The  First  Memorial  Groves  Planted  in  America,  .  118 

Cincinnati  Arbor-Hain, 118 

"The  Cincinnati  Plan"  Popularized  "Arbor-day,"  119 

"Arbor-day  "  Celebration  of  1883, 121 

Inscriptions  on  the  Granite  Markers, 122 

Description  of  the  Celebration  by  Mrs.  Hardacre,  124 

Sentiment  of  the  Scholars  in  Regard  to  Trees,  .  125 

Celebration  of  1884, 126 

Names  of  Authors  to  whom  Trees  were  Planted 

in  1884, 127 

School  Celebration  of  1885  Held  in  the  School- 
houses,  132 

Celebrations  Around  the  Trees  More  Effective,  .  134 

EXTRACTS  PROM  ADDRESSES, 135 

Tree-planting  and  Forestry  in  Germany,  •    .  136 

Public  Sentiment  Must  Be  Created,    ....  138 

Let  Memorial  Groves  Be  Planted, 139 

Tree  Monuments, 141 

Celebrations  would  Lead  to  Beautifying  Our 

Cities  and  Towns, 142 


CONTENTS  5 

Origin  of  School  Arbor-Day —  PAGE. 

Tree-planting  Fosters  a  Love  for  Trees  and 

Tree-culture, 143 

The  Gary  Tree, 144 

Old  Liberty  Elm, 145 

"Washington  Elm, 146 

"Woodman,  Spare  That  Tree, 147 

DECORATED  MANUSCRIPTS  OF  AMERICAN  AUTHORS,  .   .  151 

Letter  of  Mrs.  Anna  Fields, 155 

List  of  Manuscripts, 157 

EXTRACTS  PROM  LECTURE  ON  OHIO, 159 

First  Settlers,  Soldiers  of  the  Eevolution,    .   .   .  161 

Ordinance  of  Eighty-seven, 162 

Growth  of  the  Northwestern  States, 165 

Washington  Irving's  Letter, 165 

Ohio,  the  Soldier  State  of  the  Union, 167 

Settlement  of  Gallipolis, 169 

General  George  Rogers  Clark,  the  Napoleon  of 

the  West, 172 

OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES, 177 

CINCINNATI,  THE  UNIVERSITY  CITY  OP  THE  TWEN- 
TIETH CENTURY, 180 

Co-education, 180 

The  Growth  of  Public  Sentiment  in  Favor 

of  Higher  Education,       183 

Present  Educational  Institutions,  Apart  from 

Our  Public  Schools, 185 

Picture  of  the  University  of  Cincinnati  as 
She  will  be  in  the  Latter  Part  of   the 

Twentieth  Century, 188 

OUE  EDUCATORS, 190 

Literary  Institute   and  College  of   Profes- 
sional Teachers, 193 

GRACE  AGUILAR  SOCIETY 196 

BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 198 


6  CONTENTS 

Occasional  Addresses —  PAGE. 

REMARKS  WELCOMING  THE  NATIONAL  GERMAN 

TEACHERS'  ASSOCIATION, 199 

GERMAN  INSTRUCTION  IN  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS,     .   .   .  202 
Why  a  Child  Can  Study  with  Advantage  Two 

Languages  at  the  Same  Time, 208 

Too  Many  Hours  of  Tuition, 212 

Why  Select  the  German  Language,    ....  214 

Germanizing  the  Children, 217 

Organization  of  the  German  Department, .   .  219 

A  Suggestion  as  to  the  Method  of  Teaching,  .  223 

German  Methods  of  Instruction, 224 

Conclusion, 227 

PEDAGOGIC  HINTS  (for  teachers), 229 

THE  "TENS'  METHOD"  OF  TEACHING  ADDITION 

AND  SUBTRACTION. — Introductory  Remarks,  231 
The  Way  in  which  the  "  Tens'  Method  "  was 

Introduced, 233 

General  Directions, 235 

Explanation. — The   Teachers'   Manipulating 

the  Objects, 237 

Explanation. — The  Pupils  Manipulating  the 

Objects,- 239 

Exercises  without  Objects, 241 

TEACHING  ACCURACY  IN  READING, 250 

Opinions  of  Principals  and  Teachers,  ....  251 

PERCENTAGE  SYSTEM, 253 

FAREWELL  TO  THE  SCHOOLS, 260 

PERSONAL  INCIDENTS, 263 

The  Fish  I  Did  Catch, 265 

My  Spring, 267 

Planting  the  Maple-tree, 269 

Why  I  Became  in  Boyhood  an  Opponent  of  Cap- 
ital Punishment, 273 

General  Noyes  and  the  Poet  Whittier, 276 


CONTENTS  7 

PAGE. 

LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS,  OR  THEIR  REP- 
RESENTATIVES, RELATING  TO  AUTHOR-DAY  AND 

ARBOR-DAY  CELEBRATIONS, 281 

From  John  Greenleaf  Whittier,  283,  286,  288,  294,  300 

Henry  W.  Longfellow, 284,  286 

Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  285,  287,  293,  301,  307,  329 

From  J.  G.  Holland, 289 

W.  H.  Venable, 290,  305 

John  J.  Piatt, 291,  326 

Rev.  Howard  A.  Johnston, 294 

J.  T.  Headley, 295,  311 

W.  D.  Gallagher, 296 

Ellen  T.  Emerson  (daughter  of  Ralph  Waldo 

Emerson), 301 

Anna  Fields  (Mrs.  James  T.  Fields),    .   .  155,  302 
Elizabeth  C.  Agassiz  (Mrs.  Louis  Agassiz),  .    303 

W.  D.  Howells, 304 

Mrs.  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe, 304 

Benson  J.  Lossing, 308 

Moncure  D.  Conway, 312 

Harriet  Dennison  Read  (Mrs.  T.  Buchanan 

Read), 313 

Mrs.  Imogen  Willis  Eddy  (Daughter  of  N.  P. 

Willis),     314 

William  A.  Mowry, 23,  315 

General  Samuel  F.  Gary  (cousin  of  Alice  and 

Phoebe), 316 

B.  Pickman  Mann  (son  of  Horace  Mann),  .   .    317 
Mrs.  Mary  H.  Russell  (daughter  of  Lydia  M. 

Sigourney), 318 

Lucy  Larcom, 319 

Miss  Gabrielle  Greeley  (daughter  of  Horace 

Greeley),     320 

Daniel  Draper  (son  of   Professor  John  W. 

Draper), 320 

Mrs.  Kate  Holland  Von  Wagner  (daughter  of 

J.  G.  Holland) 321 


8  CONTENTS 

Letters  from  American  Authors —  PAGE. 

Miss  Susan  Fenimore  Cooper  (daughter  of 

James  Fenimore  Cooper), 322 

Dr.  Edward  H.  Parker, 323 

Edwin  Percy  Whipple  (the  Essayist),  .   .   .  324 
G.  and  A.  Merriam  &  Co.  (publishers  of  "Web- 
ster's Dictionary), 327 

From  James  Grant  Wilson 329 

Joseph  W.  Miller, 330 

Hon.  John  W.  Andrews, 332 

Arthur  Gilman, 333 

Eossiter  Johnson, 334 

Mrs.  C.  Emma  Cheney,  .- 335 

Horace  E.  Scudder, 336 

Horatio  O.  Ladd 336 

OCCASIONAL  VERSES, .  339 

The  School  Flag, 341 

The  Heroes  Who  Rest 343 

Advice  to  a  Young  Friend 344 

In  Memoriam.  To  Lou  W.  Peaslee, 347 

'Neath  the  Maple-tree  (by  Mrs.  Mary  Peaslee 

Gardner), 348 

Memories  of  Boyhood  (by  E.  S.  Peaslee),  ....  350 
Ode  to  Daniel  Webster  (by  Rev.  Wm.  Carey 

Sheppard), 354 

ADDENDUM. — TESTIMONY  OF  TEACHERS  ON  THE  METHOD 

OF  TEACHING  HISTORY  IN  THE  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS,    357 

NOTES, 367 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


FACING 
PAGE 

1.  PORTRAIT  OP  THE  AUTHOR," Frontispiece 

2.  BIRTH-PLACE  OF  THE  AUTHOR,     11 

3.  THE  "  OLD  PEASLEE  GARRISON  HOUSE," 16 

4.  THE  "  WHITTIER  SCHOOL-HOUSE," 21 

5.  KENOZA  LAKE, 30 

6.  SAMPLES  OF  FORMS  RULED  BY  PUPILS  ON  SLATE 

AND  PAPER  (10  pages), 68 

7.  DANIEL  WEBSTER, 74 

8.  AUTHORS'  GROVE, 115 

9.  STEUBEN  OAKS,   - 120 

10.  WASHINGTON  ELM, 146 

11.  GENERAL  GEORGE  ROGERS  CLARK, 172 

12.  UNIVERSITY  OF  CINCINNATI, 179 

13.  THE  "  OLD  MILL-POND," 266 

14.  THE  GANO  LOT,  SPKIN&  GROVE 347 

9 


SKETCH   OF   THE   LIFE  OF   JOHN    B. 
PEASLEE 

JOHN  BRADLEY  PEASLEE  was  born  in  Plaistow, 
Rockingham  County,  New  Hampshire.  His  paternal 
ancestor,  Joseph  Peaslee  (Peasley,  as  the  name  was 
then  spelled),  came,  with  his  wife  Mary,  from  Eng- 
land, and  settled  in  Newbury,  Massachusetts,  in  1635. 
In  1645  he  removed  to  Haverhill,  Massachusetts, 
where  he  established  a  homestead  of  two  hundred 
acres,  becoming,  in  that  year,  one  of  thirty-two 
landholders  of  that  place.  In  1656  he  removed  to 
the  adjoining  township  of  Salisbury  Newtown,  and 
settled  in  that  part  of  the  township  now  known  as 
Amesbury,  Massachusetts,  where  he  died  December 
3,  1660.  Joseph  Peaslee  was  a  man  of  splendid 
physique,  and  of  great  force  of  character.  He  was, 
as  is  stated  in  the  "  History  of  Essex  County,  Massa- 
chusetts,"  "in  many  respects,  a  conspicuous  man." 
The  Church  records  of  Salisbury,  where  he  sup- 
plied  the  place  of  the  minister  as  c,  lay  preacher, 
call  him  "the  gifted  brother,"  and  the  poet  Whit- 
tier  designates  him  as  "the  brave  confessor."  In 
his  religious  convictions  he  differed  from  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Established  Church,  and  was  known 
as  a  "  Come-outer."  He  began  to  preach  before 
George  Fox,  the  founder  of  the  Society  of  Friends 
(or  Quakers  as  they  are  usually  called),  commenced 

11 


12  LIFE   OF  JOHN  B.   PEASLEE 

to  proclaim  his  doctrines.  The  preaching  of  Joseph 
Peaslee,  not  being  in  accord  with  the  established 
order,  but  detrimental  to  the  same,  the  General 
Court  decreed  that  he  should  be  fined  five  shillings 
every  time  he  exhorted  the  people  in  the  absence  of  a 
preacher,  and,  also,  that  he  should  be  fined  five  shil- 
lings every  time  he  failed  to  attend  the  Established 
Church.  This  action  of  the  General  Court  did  not 
deter  him  from  worshiping  God  according  to  the 
dictates  of  his  own  conscience ;  and  not  long  after- 
wards he,  with  his  associates,  organized,  at  what  is 
now  Amesbury  Mills,  a  little  band  of  believers  to 
hold  meetings  and  to  preach.  Again  the  General 
Court  decreed  that  he  should  be  fined  as  before. 

In  1653  he  and  Thomas  Marcy  were  arrested,  by 
order  of  the  General  Court,  for  "exhorting  on  the 
Lord's-day,"  heavily  fined,  and  deprived  of  their 
"rights  as  freemen."  This  was  done  by  the  court 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  "  exhorting  "  took 
place  in  their  own  residences. 

Joseph  Peaslee,  Jr.,  the  only  son  of  Joseph 
Peaslee,  was  a  physician,  and,  like  his  distinguished 
father,  a  man  of  great  mental  power  and  of  sterling 
worth;  a  Quaker  in  the  highest  sense  of  the  term. 
"The  old  Peaslee-Garrison  House,"  built  by  him  in 
or  near  1673,  of  brick  imported  from  England,  is 
still  standing.  It  was  constructed  to  serve  both  as 
a  private  dwelling  and  as  a  fort  to  protect  the  early 
settlers  against  the  Indians.  To  this  house  the 
people  of  Haverhill  fled  for  shelter  at  the  time 
Hannah  Dustin  was  carried  away  by  the  Indians, 


LIFE   OF  JOHN  B.   PEASLEE  13 

and  also  during  the  French  and  Indian  War.  In 
it  the  great-grandmother  of  the  poet  Whittier,  who 
was  the  daughter  of  Joseph  Peaslee,  Jr.,1  spent  her 
youth.  In  this  house  the  first  Quaker  meetings  in 
New  England  were  held.  Mrs.  E.  A.  Kimball,  in 
her  book  entitled  "The  Peaslees  and  Others  of 
Haverhill  and  Vicinity,"  after  quoting  a  letter  to 
her,  in  which  John  G.  Whittier  states,  "I  have  al- 
ways heard  that  the  first  Quaker  meetings  in  this 
part  of  the  country  were  held  at  Joseph  Peasley's 
house,"  says:  "In  1699,  when  the  town  voted  'that 

7  «/  * 

the  new  meeting-house  should  in  future  be  the  place 
where  the  people  should  worship  God,  Joseph  Peas- 
ley,  etc.,  immediately  moving  that  the  town  would 
allow  him  and  others  to  meet  at  the  meeting-house 
for  and  in  their  way  of  worship — which  is  accounted 
to  be  for  Quakers — it  was  read  and  refused  to  be 
voted  upon.'  Whereupon,  not  being  allowed  to 
worship  with  his  sect  in  the  new  house,  Mr.  Peaslee 
opened  his  own  doors,  and  in  his  home  the  Friends 
met,  holding  there  the  first  meetings  of  the  society 
in  this  part  of  the  county.  In  this  house  crowds 
were  wont  to  assemble  at  their  quarterly-meetings, 
coming  from  neighboring  towns  to  listen  to  ad- 
dresses made  by  the  most  notable  speakers  of  the 
sect." 

Among  the  descendants  of  Joseph  Peaslee,  Jr., 
are  found  the  following :  Colonel  Nathaniel  Peaslee, 
"the  wealthiest  and  most  influential  man  of  Haver- 
hill,"  a  member  of  the  committee  of  the  General 
Court  on  the  boundary-line  between  Massachusetts 


14  LIFE   OF  JOHN  B.   PEASLEE 

and  New  Hampshire ;  Robert  and  John,  brothers  of 
Nathaniel,  large  land-owners,  and  prominent  and 
influential  men ;  Judge  Daniel  Peaslee,  of  Washing- 
ton County,  Vermont ;  Rev.  Reuben  Peaslee,  brother 
of  Daniel,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  Methodist 
ministers  of  his  day  in  New  England,  author  of 
"Experiences,  Christian  and  Ministerial,  of  Mr. 
Reuben  Peaslee,"  and  publisher  of  "A  Choice  Selec- 
tion of  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs,  Designed  to  Aid 
in  the  Devotions  of  Prayer,  Conference,  and  Camp- 
meetings;"  Joab  Peaslee,  brother  of  Daniel  and 
Reuben,  and  the  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  the  wealthiest  and  one  of  the  leading  men 
of  his  township,  Plaistow ;  Hon.  Charles  Hazen  Peas- 
lee, a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College,  member  of 
Congress  of  New  Hampshire  for  three  terms,  and 
collector  of  customs,  Boston,  Mass.,  under  President 
Pierce;  Edmund  Randolph  Peaslee,  A.  M.,  M.  D., 
LL.  D.,  of  New  York  City,  graduate  of  Dartmouth 
College,  great  physician  and  lecturer,  professor  at 
Dartmouth,  Bowdoin,  New  York  Medical  and 
Bellows  Hospital  Medical  Colleges,  author  of  med- 
ical works,  a  member  and  officer  of  medical  societies 
of  both  continents,  and  trustee  of  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege; J.  P.  Peaslee,  New  York  City,  author  of 
"The  Unique;"  Amos  Peaslee,  very  prominent 
Quaker  preacher  (Hicksite),  Philadelphia;  Abraham 
Peaslee,  brother  of  Amos,  a  prominent  Quaker 
preacher  (orthodox) ;  Judge  William  Jenkins  Peas- 
lee, of  the  Circuit  Court,  Indianapolis;  Rev.  Eben- 
ezer  Peaslee,  Newton,  N.  H.,  Methodist  preacher 


LIFE   OF  JOHN  B.   PEASLEE  15 

and  very  able  debater;  Moses  B.  Peaslee,  one  of  the 
wealthiest  and  most  prominent  citizens  of  Newton, 
N.  H.;  Edward  H.  Peaslee,  M.  D.,  of  New  York 
City,  a  graduate  of  Phillips  Academy,  Exeter,  N.  H., 
of  Yale  College,  and  of  Bellows  Hospital  Medical 
College,  and  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  of 
New  York  City  for  six  years ;  Judge  Eobert  James 
Peaslee,  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  Hamp- 
shire; Rev.  Arthur  Peaslee,  A.  B.  (Bates  College), 
A.  M.  (Harvard  University),  curate  of  Christ  Church 
(Episcopal),  Cambridge,  Mass.;  Daniel  Peaslee, 
Plaistow,  N.  H.,  uncle  of  John  B.,  mill-owner  and 
large  dealer  in  ship  lumber;  Hiram  Peaslee,  also  an 
uncle,  wealthy  and  prominent  citizen  of  Haverhill, 
Mass. ;  James  E.  Peaslee,  brother  of  Daniel  and 
Hiram,  and  father  of  Edward  S.  Peaslee,  principal 
of  Kirby  Eoad  School,  Cincinnati,  land-owner  and 
farmer;  Hon.  Clarence  Andrew  Peaslee,  M.  D., 
"Wiscasset,  Maine,  a  graduate  of  the  Maine  Wes- 
leyan  Seminary,  of  the  Medical  Department  of  Bow- 
doin  College,  perfecting  his  medical  studies  at  the 
New  York  Poly  clinic,  St.  Thomas  Hospital  in  Lon- 
don, and  at  the  University  of  Vienna,  a  member  of 
the  Maine  Academy  of  Medicine  and  Science,  vice- 
president  of  the  Medical  Alumni  of  Bowdoin  Col- 
lege, and  member  of  the  Board  of  Pension  Exam- 
ining Surgeons;  C.  C.  Peaslee,  M.  D.,  of  Auburn, 
Maine ;  Horace  White  Peaslee,  one  of  the  most  es- 
teemed citizens  and  successful  business  men  of  Co- 
lumbia County,  New  York;  Rev.  Isaac  Peaslee,  of 
Sutton,  N.  H.,  Baptist  minister;  Rev.  Arthur  C. 


16  LIFE   OF  JOHN  B.   PEASLEE 

Peaslee,  of  Leominster,  Mass.,  Baptist  minister; 
Charles  E.  Peaslee,  prominent  Quaker  minister; 
Zacheus,  Kobert,  David,  Abraham,  and  Jacob  Peas- 
lee were  soldiers  of  the  Eevolution,  two  of  them 
officers;  Jacob,  afterwards  major  in  the  New  Hamp- 
shire State  Militia,  ' '  became  very  wealthy,  and  was 
the  head  and  front  of  all  public  interests  of  his 
township,  South  Kingston,  X.  H. ;"  his  son,  Captain 
Daniel  Peaslee,  was  "active,  energetic,  and  always 
in  public  affairs;"  Captain  Daniel's  son,  Luther 
Peaslee,  "merchant,  lumberman,  is  one  of  the 
wealthiest  men  in  Southern  New  Hampshire ;"  Dr. 
George  L.  Peaslee,  formerly  of  Gilmanton,  N.  H., 
and  afterwards  of  Wilton,  Maine;  John  S.  Peaslee, 
a  prominent  citizen  of  Newton,  N.  H.,  president 
of  the  "Peaslee  Gathering;"  E.  E.  Peaslee,  Plaistow, 
N.  H.,  lumber  dealer  and  large  mill  owner;  Joab 
Peaslee,  Plaistow,  N.  H.,  and  Haverhill,  Mass.,  re- 
tired shoe-manufacturer,  ex-member  of  the  House 
of  Kepresentatives  of  New  Hampshire ;  Charles  E. 
Peaslee  (Peaslee  &  Gaulbert  Co.,  Louisville,  Ky.)> 
retired  merchant  and  manufacturer,  Louisville,  Ky. ; 
Hon.  Nathaniel  Peaslee  Sargent,  a  graduate  of 
Harvard,  member  of  the  Provincial  Congress,  chief 
justice  Supreme  Court  of  Massachusetts;  John 
Greenleaf  Whittier,  the  poet;  Hon.  William  Pitt 
Fessenden,  United  States  senator  from  Maine; 
Major-General  Joseph  Badger,  colonel  of  the  10th 
New  Hampshire  Eegiment,  in  1771,  an  active  and 
efficient  officer  in  the  Eevolution,  member  of  the 
Provincial  Congress  and  of  the  Convention  that 


LIFE   OF  JOHN  B,   PEASLEE  17 

adopted  the  United  States  Constitution,  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Gilmanton  (N.  H.)  Academy,  and 
president  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  till  his  death 
(his  son,  Brigadier-General  Joseph  Badger,  com- 
manded a  company  at  Mount  Independence,  Lake 
Champlain,  in  1776,  and  was  present  at  the  capture 
of  General  Burgoyne  in  1779) ;  Hon. "William  Badger, 
governor  of  New  Hampshire ;  Nathaniel  and  Francis 
Cogswell,  graduates  of  Dartmouth,  and  officers  in 
the  army— one  was  killed  at  Chateaugay,  N.  Y.,  in 
1813,  and  the  other  died  in  the  service;  Judge 
Thomas  Cogswell,  most  prominent  citizen  of  Gil- 
manton, N.  H. ;  Colonel  Thomas  Cogswell,  son  of 
Judge  Cogswell,  to  whom  a  further  reference  will 
be  made  in  these  pages ;  Amos  Cogswell,  of  Dover, 
N.  H. ;  Dr.  Joseph  Cogswell  and  Dr.  William  Cogs- 
well, of  Bradford,  Mass. ;  Dr.  George  Cogswell,  of 
Bradford,  Mass. ;  General  William  Cogswell,  of 
Salem,  Mass.,  colonel  of  the  2d  Massachusetts  Eegi- 
ment  in  the  Civil  War,  member  of  Congress  from 
Essex  County;  Hon.  Ira  A.  Eastman,  of  Concord, 
N.  H.,  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College,  member 
of  Congress,  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  New 
Hampshire,  trustee  of  Dartmouth  College  from 
1859  to  1880;  Joseph  Eastman,  of  Concord,  who 
commanded  a  company  at  Crown  Point ;  Nathaniel 
Eastman,  member  of  the  Committee  of  Safety, 
served  at  Ticonderoga ;  Moses  Eastman,  sergeant  in 
the  same  company  which  his  brother  Joseph  com- 
manded at  Crown  Point;  Hon.  Samuel  C.  Eastman, 
president  of  the  New  Hampshire  Savings  Bank; 


18  LIFE   OF  JOHN  S.   PEASLEE 

Gertrude  (Whittier)  Cortland,  cousin  of  John  G. 
Whittier,  a  prominent  educator  and  woman  of  high 
culture;  Charles  H.  Jones,  of  Amesbury,  Mass., 
former  principal  of  Oak  Grove  Seminary,  Maine, 
and  of  Union  Springs  School,  New  York,  without 
question  the  most  gifted  minister  of  the  Society  of 
Friends  in  the  Xew  England  Yearly  Meeting;  Dr. 
Daniel  Peaslee  Chase,  of  Hillsboro  Bridge,  N.  H. ; 
James  Davis,  of  Dover,  X.  H.,  colonel,  judge,  and 
large  land-owner;  Benjamin  Thompson,  who  gave 
nearly  $500,000  to  the  New  Hampshire  Agricultural 
College;  Mary  Thompson,  sister  of  Benjamin, 
noted  teacher  and  author,  who  left  a  library  of 
2,000  volumes;  Hon.  S.  F.  Xorris,  of  Batavia,  Ohio, 
judge,  and  member  of  the  Ohio  Constitutional  Con- 
vention of  1850;  Anson  P.  Merrill,  governor  of 
Maine,  1855-57,  and  member  of  Congress,  1861-63; 
Lot  M.  Morrill,  educated  at  "Waterville  College,  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1839,  member  of  State  Legis- 
lature in  1854,  president  of  State  Senate  in  1856, 
governor  of  Maine,  1858-60,  United  States  senator, 
1861-76,  and  was  appointed  Secretary  of  the  United 
States  Treasury  June  21,  1876;  Hon.  Daniel  J. 
Morrill,  one  of  the  chief  owners  and  managers  of 
the  iron  works  at  Johnstown,  Pa.,  elected  member 
of  Congress,  and  moved  in  Congress  the  measure 
for  the  World's  Fair  at  Philadelphia  in  1876,  and 
was  chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
Exposition;  Dr.  Israel  Peaslee  Chase,  of  Manches- 
ter, N.  H.,  editor  and  very  skillful  physician;  Ab- 
ner  Peaslee  Collins,  of  Weare,  N.  H.,  "compiled 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  B.   PEASLEE  19 

the  excellent  genealogies  for  the  history  of  Weare, 
a  man  widely  known ;"  Dr.  Daniel  Peaslee  Webster, 
physician,  Brattleboro,  Vt. ;  Eugene  Alonzo  Web- 
ster, Internal  Eevenue  collector,  district  of  South 
Carolina;  John  Paige,  of  Weare,  N.  H.,  a  widely- 
known  Quaker  minister;  John  Elwood  Paige,  of 
Lynn,  Mass.,  clerk  of  the  New  England  Yearly 
Meeting  of  Friends — highest  public  office  in  the 
society — "  a  well-known  and  prominent  man,  a  poet 
and  writer,  also  business  man;"  Nathan  C.  Paige, 
formerly  of  Washington,  D.  C. ;  Nathan  Paige,  well- 
known  Quaker  minister;  George  F.  Beede,  of  Free- 
mont,  N.  H.,  writer  on  horticulture,  prominent 
member  of  the  Legislature  of  New  Hampshire,  au- 
thor of  a  number  of  bills  relating  to  agriculture; 
Eev.  Horatio  N.  Burton,  D.  D. ;  Hon.  John  Peaslee 
Badger,  of  Malone,  N.  Y. ;  Daniel  Peterson  Wood- 
bury,  Weare,  N.  H.,  selectman  for  years,  does  a 
large  amount  of  probate  business;  David  Nasoii, 
Amesbury,  Mass.,  postmaster  and  influential  citizen; 
Edmund  Johnson,  cousin  of  the  poet  Whittier,  large 
farmer  and  lumberman,  retired  from  business  in 
1856,  and  lived  in  Charleston  and  Boston  till  1876, 
when,  with  his  daughters,  Caroline  C.,  Mrs.  Abby 
Woodman,  and  Mary,  he  removed  to  Oak  Knoll, 
Danvers,  Mass.,  which  was  the  old  General  Putnam 
place,  where  Ann  Putnam  and  her  witch  friends 
used  to  hold  their  gatherings — the  Johnson  sisters 
and  Mrs.  Woodman,  where  John  G.  Whittier  made 
his  home  part  of  the  time,  were  of  Peaslee  descent 
on  both  sides;  William  B.  Cole,  Lebanon,  N.  H.,  a 


20  LIFE   OF  JOHN  B.   PEASLEE 

wealthy  iron  manufacturer ;  Peaslee  Dickinson,  suc- 
cessful merchant  and  a  leading  citizen,  Chelsea, 
Vt. ;  Mrs.  Louise  Worthington  Greene,  aunt  of  Mr. 
Peaslee,  wife  of  George  A.  Greene,  one  of  the 
wealthiest  men  in  Haverhill,  Mass.,  and  a  poetess  of 
local  reputation;  Hon.  Peter  Morrill  Xeal,  ex-mayor 
of  Lynn,  Mass.,  very  prominent  man  both  in  public 
life  and  Church  affairs  (Quaker) ;  and  many  other 
descendants  of  Joseph  Peaslee ^  Jr. ,  who  have  lived 
lives  of  honor  and  influence.  Mr.  Beede  furnished 
the  greater  part  of  the  information  relating  to  the 
descendants  of  Joseph  Peaslee,  Jr.,  given  above. 

Mr.  Peaslee's  father,  Eeuben  Peaslee,  also  edu- 
cated at  Dartmouth  College,  was  for  years  chairman 
of  the  important  Committee  on  Banking  of  the 
House  of  Representatives  of  Xew  Hampshire,  and 
was  noted  for  his  powers  as  a  debater.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of  1850, 
and  it  was  through  his  influence  that  the  Convention 
incorporated  in  the  new  constitution  articles  which 
abolished  religious  qualifications  both  for  voting 
and  for  holding  office.2 

Mr.  Peaslee's  maternal  ancestor,  Richard  Willets, 
settled  in  Hempstead,  Long  Island,  New  York,  on  or 
before  1657.  His  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Harriet  Atwood  Willets,  was  born  in  Xew  York 
City  in  1824,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  that  city,  having  completed  the  entire  course  of 
study  of  those  days.  She  was  noted  for  energy  and 
vivacity,  and  for  her  kind  and  generous  impulses. 

Mr.  Peaslee's  ancestors  on  both  his  father's  and 


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LIFE   OF  JOHN  B.   PEASLEE  21 

his  mother's  side  were  Quakers,  and  suffered  by  the 
religious  persecutions  of  early  times. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  town  and  of  Haverhill,3 
Massachusetts,  at  Atkinson  and  Gilmanton  Acade- 
mies, New  Hampshire,  and  at  Dartmouth  College, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1863-4.* 

Of  the  members  of  the  class  now  living,  there 
are  16  lawyers,  11  professors  and  teachers,  8  min- 
isters of  the  gospel,  9  physicians,  7  merchants,  4 
manufacturers,  3  farmers,  3  journalists,  2  New  York 
brokers,  1  banker,  1  chemist,  1  paymaster  in  United 
States  navy,  1  railroad  president,  1  real-estate 
dealer,  1  fruit-raiser,  and  1  chief  of  postal  service, 
and  they  are  distributed  among  twenty-one  States 
and  the  District  of  Columbia. 

Mr.  Peaslee's  Commencement  oration  was  on 
"  The  Polish  Eevolutions,"  and  it  was  so  effectively 
delivered  that  the  entire  audience  was  aroused  to 
enthusiasm,  and  he  received  high  encomiums  from 
New  York  and  other  Eastern  papers.  Even  Ealph 
Waldo  Emerson,  who  sat  upon  the  platform,  arose 
and  congratulated  the  young  man.  Upon  the 
recommendation  of  Dr.  Nathan  Lord,  president  of 
Dartmouth,  and  without  Mr.  Peaslee's  knowledge 
or  solicitation,  he  was  elected  principal  of  the  North 
Grammar  School,  Columbus,  Ohio,  shortly  after 
graduation,  and  in  company  of  Judge  Hutchinson, 
his  classmate,  mentioned  later,  who  had  been  elected 
principal  of  the  Columbus  High  School,  he  came 
to  Ohio,  reaching  the  State  on  his  twenty-second 


22  LIFE   OF  JOHN  B.   PEASLEE 

birthday.  On  October  3,  1864,  he  resigned  his  po- 
sition at  Columbus,  greatly  to  the  regret  of  pupils, 
teachers,  and  trustees,  and  came  to  Cincinnati,  to 
assume  the  duties  of  first  assistant  in  the  Third 
District  School  of  that  city,  Congressman  Outh- 
waite  succeeding  him  as  principal  of  the  North 
Grammar  School.  In  1867  he  was  elected  principal 
of  the  Fifth  District  School;  in  1869,  of  the  Second 
Intermediate  (Grammar)  School;  in  1873,  the  Ninth 
District  School  was  also  placed  under  his  charge; 
in  1874,  Superintendent  of  the  Cincinnati  Public 
Schools, — certainly  one  of  the  youngest,  if  not  the 
youngest  man  who  ever  held  the  superintendency 
of  so  large  a  school  system  in  this  or  any  other 
country.  During  Mr.  Peaslee's  twelve  years'  super- 
intendency he  inaugurated  a  number  of  important 
reforms  in  the  schools,  among  which  may  be  men- 
tioned the  method  of  teaching  addition  and  sub- 
traction in  the  primary  grades,  named  by  him  the 
"Tens  Method,"  but  which  was  published  in  pam- 
phlet form  by  Professor  John  Mickleborough,  former 
principal  of  the  Cincinnati  Normal  School,  as  the 
"Peaslee  Method;"  also  systematic  forms  in  which 
the  pupils  were  required  to  rule  their  slates  and 
paper  for  all  written  work,  thus  giving  the  pupils  a 
pride  in  beautiful  execution,  and  inculcating  thereby 
habits  of  neatness  and  order,  the  moral  influence  of 
which  can  hardly  be  overestimated;  the  devoting 
of  fifteen  minutes  a  day  to  the  systematic  teaching  of 
Gems  of  Literature,  and  for  this  work  prepared  a 
course  of  study  in  which  the  selections  for  children 


LIFE   OF  JOHN  B.   PEASLEE  23 

in  the  lower  grades  consisted  chiefly  of  entire  pieces, 
and  of  such  as  are  calculated  to  develop  their  emo- 
tional nature  (the  imagination,  love  of  home  and 
parents,  kindness  to  dumb  animals,  etc.),  and  to 
give  them  correct  rules  of  action;  those  for  the 
higher  grades  consisting  principally  of  brief  ex- 
tracts, containing  grand  and  ennobling  thoughts, 
clothed  in  beautiful  language,  calculated  to  inspire 
them  with  higher  aspirations  in  life,  to  lead  them 
into  pure  fields  of  English  literature,  and  to  teach 
them  to  love  and  reverence  great  and  good  authors. 

"The  plan  of  Mr.  Peaslee,"  said  a  writer  in  the 
Cincinnati  Gazette,  "has  proved  a  revolution,  and 
those  who  have  watched  the  growth  of  the  little 
ones,  relative  to  the  thoughts  imparted  by  the  so- 
called  *  Memory  Gems,'  will  agree  with  us  in  award- 
ing high  praise  to  the  conception." 

Of  the  same  work,  the  Boston  Literary  World 
declared  that,  "in  preparing  the  graded  selections 
for  memorizing,  Superintendent  Peaslee  has  done 
much  to  acquaint  the  public-school  children  with, 
and  interest  them  in,  the  best  authors." 

Dr.  "W.  A.  Mowry,  ex-president  American  Insti- 
tute of  Instruction,  and  member  of  the  National 
Council  of  Education,  wrote  to  the  author:  "I 
have  just  finished  reading  through,  from  beginning 
to  end,  your  little  book  of  selections.  It  is  charm- 
ing, delightful.  I  do  not  see  how  you  succeeded  so 
well  in  selecting  such  an  admirable  list  of  pieces. 
But  the  chief  feature  is,  that  they  are  so  wonderfully 
well  graded.  Anybody  can  make  good  selections  for 


24  LIFE   OF  JOHN  B.   PEASLEE 

grown  people ;  but  it  is  a  different  task  to  make,  as 
you  have  made,  a  good  list  for  the  young  children. 
Your  success  is  complete." 

To  the  above  notices  may  be  added  the  follow- 
ing, from  a  chapter  in  the  "  History  of  Cincinnati," 
written  by  Dr.  W.  H.  Venable,  author  of  "The 
Teacher's  Dream:" 

"Dr.  Peaslee  accomplished  a  distinguished  and 
important  service  for  the  schools  in  the  way  of  lit- 
erary stimulation.  He  introduced  books  to  children 
and  children  to  books.  Authors  and  publishers  owe 
him  a  debt  of  gratitude. 

"The  beginning  of  this  literary  movement 
dates  from  the  introduction  of  *  Peaslee's  Gems '  as 
a  part  of  the  course  of  education.  These  Gems  are 
choice  passages  in  prose  and  verse,  to  be  learned  by 
heart  and  recited  by  the  pupil  as  a  basis  of  further 
literary  study.  It  is  claimed  that  Dr.  Peaslee  was 
the  first  in  this  country  to  introduce  into  the  schools 
a  systematic  and  graded  course  of  such  selections 
from  English  literature. 

"The  zealous  impulse  which  led  him  to  devise 
ways  and  means  of  aiding  the  young  people  to  make 
a  start  in  reading  and  loving  good  books,  carried 
him  on  to  a  still  more  inspiring  mode  of  enlighten- 
ing the  children,  and  calling  forth  willing  and  profit- 
able efforts  on  their  part.  It  was  a  happy  thought 
of  his  to  vary  the  monotory  of  school-life  by  occa- 
sional celebrations  commemorative  of  the  life  and 
services  of  distinguished  authors,  statesmen,  and 
others,  whose  word  and  example  might  serve  to 


LIFE   OF    TOHN  B.   PEASLEE  25 

stimulate  the  rising  generation  to  nobler  and  better 
conduct.  The  first  celebration  of  the  kind  was  held 
on  December  17,  1879,  the  anniversary  of  the  birth- 
day of  John  Greenleaf  Whittier.  This  was  followed, 
in  1880,  by  the  celebrations  of  Longfellow,  Holmes, 
Emerson,  and  others.  Commenting  on  the  value 
of  this  feature  in  education,  Dr.  William  T.  Harris, 
the  present  United  States  Commissioner  of  Educa- 
tion, said  that  *  it  was  the  best  thing  that  had  been 
done  for  the  schools  of  our  country  for  fifty  years.' 
The  innovation  proved  popular  as  well  as  salutary, 
and  was  adopted  throughout  the  whole  country.  In 
Cincinnati  the  movement  found  further  develop- 
ment, by  Dr.  Peaslee's  activity,  as  an  adjunct  to 
Arbor-day  celebrations. 

"  On  April  27,  1882,  under  the  direction  of  the 
superintendent,  and  as  a  part  of  the  general  civic 
Memorial-day,  the  school-children  planted  'Authors' 
Grove,'  a  plat  of  ground  six  acres  in  extent,  in 
Eden  Park.  A  vast  number  of  beautiful  trees, 
each  dedicated  to  some  distinguished  writer,  were 
planted ;  and  granite  tablets,  with  the  names  of  the 
several  authors,  were  afterwards  placed  near  the 
trees.  The  visitor  to  Eden  Park  will  now  find 
'Authors'  Grove'  one  of  the  most  delightful  por- 
tions of  the  place." 

Superintendent  Peaslee  contended  that  the  study 
of  literature  should  not  begin,  as  was  the  old  cus- 
tom, with  Chaucer,  in  the  high  schools,  but  with 
our  American  authors  in  the  district  schools;  that 
our  children  should  be  taught  at  an  early  age  the 


26  LIFE   OF  JOHN  B.   PEASLEE 

love  of  reading  good  books ;  that  the  only  effectual 
way  to  keep  the  youth  of  our  country  from  reading 
the  pernicious  dime  novel  is  to  interest  them  in  good 
literature  and  its  authors.  It  is  gratifying  to  know 
that  this  great  literary  movement  has  revolutionized 
the  public  schools  of  our  country  in  regard  to  litera- 
ture, so  that  to-day  the  demand  for  books  by  the 
schools,  apart  from  the  regular  text-books,  is  so 
great  that  a  half  dozen  firms  are  publishing  long 
lists  of  such  works  for  school  youth,  and  our  great 
American  authors  find  loving  place  in  millions  of 
youthful  minds  and  hearts  that  would  otherwise 
know  little  or  nothing  of  them. 

In  connection  with  this  literary  and  moral  train- 
ing, Mr.  Peaslee  urged  upon  principals  and  teachers 
the  importance  of  adorning  the  school-rooms  with 
appropriate  pictures,  especially  with  the  portraits  of 
authors,  statesmen,  and  philanthropists,  and  at  one 
time  he  invested,  from  the  proceeds  of  an  enter- 
tainment, given  by  the  schools,  over  seven  hundred 
dollars  in  purchasing  the  portraits  of  Bryant,  Long- 
fellow, Holmes,  Whittier,  Webster,  Peabody,  and 
others,  for  the  high  and  intermediate  and  district 
schools. 

Eecognizing  the  importance  of  correct  pronun- 
ciation, Mr.  Peaslee  introduced,  both  in  the  Cin- 
cinnati and  in  the  State  Board  of  Examiners  for 
Teachers,  Orthoepy  as  a  distinct  branch  of  study, 
upon  which  candidates  for  teachers'  certificates  are 
required  to  be  examined.  This  important  innova- 
tion has  been  largely  followed  by  city  and  county 


LIFE   OF  JOHN  ff.   PEASLBE  27 

Boards  of  Examiners,  and,  as  a  gratifying  result, 
there  has  been  a  vast  improvement  in  the  pronun- 
ciation of  both  teachers  and  scholars  in  the  Ohio 
schools.  In  this  connection  he  advocated  the  intro- 
duction of  the  diacritical  marks  into  our  readers, 
which  has  been  accomplished. 

DEGREES. — In  1863,  Dartmouth  College  con- 
ferred upon  Mr.  Peaslee  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Arts,  and  in  1866,  that  of  Master  of  Arts;  in  1866, 
Cincinnati  College,  at  his  graduation  from  the  Law 
Department,  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws;  in 
1879,  the  Ohio  State  University,  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Philosophy;  and  in  1869,  the  University 
of  Turin,  Italy,  sent  Mr.  Peaslee  a  diploma  of  life- 
membership  of  that  renowned  institution  of  learn- 
ing, in  recognition  of  the  excellence  of  the  Cincin- 
nati school  exhibit  at  the  Paris  Exposition  of  1878. 
Of  this  exhibit,  Dr.  John  D.  Philbrick,  for  twenty- 
five  years  superintendent  of  the  Boston  (Mass.) 
public  schools,  and  United  States  Commissioner  of 
Education  to  the  Vienna,  our  own  Centennial,  and 
the  Paris  Exposition,  said:  "No  other  exhibit  of 
scholars'  work  equal  to  that  of  Cincinnati  was  ever 
made  in  the  known  world." 

On  October  18, 1889,  the  American  Forestry  Con- 
gress planted,  near  Agricultural  Hall  in  Fairmount 
Park,  Philadelphia,  a  beautiful  oak-tree,  and  dedi- 
cated it  to  Mr.  Peaslee  "  in  recognition  of  his  distin- 
guished services  in  promoting  the  cause  of  popular 
forestry,  and  especially  in  introducing  the  celebra- 
tion of  Arbor-day  by  the  public  schools  of  Cincin- 


28  LIFE   OF  JOHN  B.   PEASLEE 

nati,  and  thereafter  of  the  country."  (From  the 
resolution  passed  by  the  Congress.)  The  "Peaslee 
oak  "  is  one  of  five,  planted  and  dedicated  at  that 
meeting. 

PUBLICATIONS. — First.  A  book  containing  gems 
of  literature  for  young  and  old,  entitled  "Graded 
Selections  for  Memorizing,  Adapted  for  Use  at 
Home  and  in  School,"  published  by  the  American 
Book  Company.  Second.  A  pamphlet  of  64  pages, 
entitled  "Trees  and  Tree-planting,  with  Exercises 
and  Directions  for  the  Celebration  of  Arbor-day," 
published  in  1884,  by  the  Ohio  State  Forestry  As- 
sociation and  by  the  United  States  Government. 
Third.  An  address,  "School  Celebration  of  Arbor- 
day,"  delivered  before  the  Superintendent's  Section 
of  the  National  Educational  Association  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.,  in  1884,  also  published  by  the  Gov- 
ernment. Fourth.  An  address,  "Moral  and  Lit- 
erary Training  in  Public  Schools,"  delivered  before 
the  National  Educational  Association,  at  Atlanta, 
Ga.,  in  1881.  Fifth.  An  address,  "German  In- 
struction in  Public  Schools,  and  Its  Helpful  In- 
fluence on  Public-school  Education,"  delivered 
before  the  National  German-American  Teachers' 
Association,  at  Chicago  in  1889,  and  published  by 
that  body.  Sixth.  A  poem,  "Now  and  Then," 
read  at  the  celebration  of  the  eightieth  birthday  of 
Mrs.  Louisa  La  Boiteaux,  of  Mt.  Healthy,  Ohio,  in 
1890.  Seventh.  An  address,  "History  of  the  In- 
troduction of  German  Methods  in  the  Public  Schools 
of  Ohio,"  delivered  in  the  German  language  before 


LIFE   OF  JOHN  B.  PEASLEE  29 

the  Ohio  German  Teachers'  Association  at  San- 
dusky,  in  1895;  and  twelve  Annual  Reports  of  the 
Cincinnati  Public  Schools.  Besides  the  above,  he 
has  written  many  articles  for  educational  journals 
and  the  public  press,  and  delivered  numerous  lec- 
tures on  American  authors  and  literature,  and  on 
forestry,  etc. 

Mr.  Peaslee  is  a  director  of  the  University  of 
Cincinnati,  a  trustee  of  the  "Woodward  High-school 
Funds,  and  member  of  the  Cincinnati  Union  Board 
of  High  Schools ;  was  for  two  years  president  of  the 
Ohio  State  Board  of  Examiners  for  Teachers ;  for 
nine  years  trustee  of  Miami  University,  Oxford,  Ohio ; 
for  three,  trustee  of  Wilberforce  University,  Wilber- 
f orce,  Ohio ;  for  twenty  years  a  director  of  the  Ohio 
Humane  Society;  is  life  member  of  the  National 
Council  of  Education ;  life  member  of  the  National 
Education  Association,  and  ex-president  of  one  of  its 
departments;  an  honorary  life  member  of  the  Na- 
tional German-American  Teachers' Association ;  also, 
honorary  life  member  of  the  Ohio  German  Teachers' 
Association;  is  a  member  of  the  German  Literary 
Club  of  Cincinnati;  a  trustee  of  the  Cincinnati 
Teachers'  Pension  Fund;  treasurer  of  the  Cincin- 
nati Free  German  Kindergarten  Association;  presi- 
dent for  six  years  of  the  Ohio  State  Forestry 
Bureau;  a  member  of  the  Cincinnati  Chamber  of 
Commerce ;  and  in  1890,  a  delegate  from  the  same 
to  the  National  Board  of  Trade ;  an  associate  mem- 
ber of  E.  F.  Noyes  and  R.  L.  McCook  Post,  No.  30, 
G.  A.  R. ;  a  member  of  the  New  England  Society  of 


30  LIFE   OF  JOHN  B.   PEASLEE 

Cincinnati,  and  of  the  Dartmouth  Alumni  Associa- 
tion, also,  of  the  Zeta  Psi  Greek  Fraternity. 

In  1888,  and  again  in  1891,  Mr.  Peaslee  was 
elected,  for  the  term  of  three  years  each,  clerk  of 
the  courts  of  Hamilton  County,  Ohio.  In  1895  he 
was  candidate  for  lieutenant-governor  of  Ohio,  on 
the  ticket  with  Ex-Governor  James  E.  Campbell, 
having  been  unanimously  nominated  by  the  Con- 
vention of  his  party. 

April  25,  1878,  he  married  Miss  Lou  Wright, 
the  daughter  of  Hon.  Joseph  F.  "Wright,  and  great 
granddaughter,  on  her  mother's  side,  of  General 
John  S.  Gano,  of  the  War  of  1812,  one  of  the  first 
thirty-three  settlers  of  Cincinnati.  On  the  occasion 
of  his  marriage  he  was  presented  by  his  fraters  of 
Hanselmann  Commandery,  Knights  Templar — who 
attended  in  a  body  in  full  uniform,  and  formed  an 
"arch  of  steel,"  under  which  the  bridal  party 
marched  from  the  carriages  to  the  altar — with  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  and  elaborate  Masonic  jewels 
ever  manufactured  in  America. 

Mrs.  Peaslee  died  July  18,  1894,  and  was  buried 
in  beautiful  Spring  Grove.  She  was  a  charming 
character,  a  lady  of  refinement  and  culture,  one  of 
the  most  popular  women  in  Cincinnati.  She  was 
associate  commissioner  of  the  Centennial  Exposition 
of  Cincinnati  in  1888.  Mrs.  Peaslee  was  one  of  the 
organizers  and  a  director  for  years  of  the  English 
Free  Kindergarten  Association;  and  while  she  was 
deeply  interested  in  humane  work,  she  was,  at  the 
same  time,  a  patron  of  literature,  art,  and  music. 


Moral  and  Literary  Training  in 
Public  Schools 

EXTRACTS  FROM  AN  ADDRESS  DELIVERED  BEFORE  THE  OHIO 
STATE  TEACHERS'  ASSOCIATION  IN  1880,  AND  FROM 
A  TALK  BEFORE  THE  AMERICAN  HU- 
MANE ASSOCIATION,  AT  ST. 

LOUIS,  IN  1884. 

31 


MOKAL  AND  LITEEAET  TKAINING  IN 
PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

"  Live  up  to  the  best  that  is  in  you ;  live  noble  lives, 
as  you  all  may,  in  whatever  condition  you  may  find  your- 
selves, so  that  your  epitaph  may  be  that  of  Euripides: 
'  This  monument  does  not  make  thee  famous,  O  Euri- 
pides !  but  thou  makest  this  monument  famous.'  " — Ex- 
tract of  Letter  from  Longfellow,  written  on  the  occasion 
of  the  Celebration  of  the  Poet's  Seventy-third  Birthday 
by  the  Public  Schools  of  Cincinnati.  (See  letter.) 

I  SHALL  not  discuss  the  methods  by  which  Eng- 
lish literature  is  now  taught  in  our  high  schools  and 
colleges,  as  the  literary  work  which  I  shall  advocate 
in  this  paper  will  not  interfere  in  the  least  with 
that  which  these  institutions  are  endeavoring  to  ac- 
complish, but  will  be  additional  and  supplementary 
to  their  noble  work.  That  my  position  may  not  be 
misunderstood,  I  desire  to  say  in  the  outset  that  I  am 
decidedly  in  favor  of  retaining  the  systematic  study 
of  English  literature  as  a  distinct  branch  in  these 
institutions;  and  instead  of  substituting  anything 
for  this  work,  as  some  erroneously  suppose,  I  would 
give  much  more  of  it.  In  my  opinion,  however, 
high-school  courses  of  study  in  English  literature 
should  begin  with  the  authors  of  to-day  (American), 
3  83 


34  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

and  go  lack  to  Chaucer,  instead  of  beginning  -with 
Chaucer  and  coming  down  to  the  present  time; 
and,  moreover,  the  systematic  study  of  literature 
should  be  begun  in  the  first  year  of  the  high  school 
instead  of  in  the  third,  as  is  now  almost  universally 
the  case  in  this  country ;  indeed,  I  thinly  it  should 
find  place  in  the  programs  of  the  grammar  schools. 

MISTAKES  IN  TEACHING 

Before  entering  fully  upon  my  subject,  I  de- 
sire to  call  the  attention  of  educators  to  some  of 
the  mistakes  that  must  be  corrected  before  the 
public  schools  of  the  country  can  reach  the  high- 
est standard  of  excellence  in  literary  and  moral 
training. 

One  of  these  mistakes  consists  in  giving  a 
disproportionate  amount  of  time  to  the  subject 
of  arithmetic.  Arithmetic  has  been,  and  ever 
must  be,  one  of  the  fundamental  branches  of  a 
common-school  curriculum.  I  yield  to  no  man  in 
my  estimate  of  the  importance  of  the  subject,  both 
in  regard  to  what  is  usually  considered  its  practi- 
cal bearing  upon  the  business  affairs  of  life,  and  its 
excellence  as  a  means  of  mental  discipline.  Nor 
am  I  among  those  who  would  cut  down  the  course 
of  study  in  arithmetic  to  a  few  subjects ;  to  those 
only  that  are  generally  considered  absolutely  nec- 
essary for  all  to  know;  to  that  only  which  is  so- 
called  practical. — Practical:  there  is  a  higher 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  35 

practical  than  the  mere  use  that  some  of  us  may 
make  of  it  in  adding  up  our  grocer's  bills,  or,  per- 
chance, in  calculating  discount  and  interest.  The 
mental  discipline,  the  strengthening  of  the  mind, 
the  intellectual  power  that  the  scholar  obtains  by 
the  study  of  this  subject,  are  the  real  practical,  the 
higher  practical.  It  will  never  do  to  confine  our 
courses  of  study  in  mathematics  to  that  only  which 
popular  opinion  considers  practical.  I  object  not, 
therefore,  that  there  is  too  much  ground  covered 
in  the  arithmetic,  or  that  it  is  too  well  taught, 
but  that  there  is  too  much  time  given  to  it.6 

You  will  remember  that  President  Andrews,  of 
Marietta,  Ohio,  who  is  known  to  be  very  careful 
and  accurate  in  his  statements,  said,  in  an  article 
published  in  the  Ohio  Educational  Monthly  some 
four  years  ago,  that  statistics  show  that  sixty-two 
per  cent  of  the  entire  time  of  the  public  schools  of 
Ohio,  outside  of  the  cities  and  large  towns,  is 
given  to  the  subject  of  arithmetic  alone.  Speak- 
ing on  this  subject  to  me  a  short  time  ago,  Dr. 
Andrews  said,  that  although  there  had  been  an  im- 
provement in  this  regard  since  he  wrote  the  article, 
still  more  than  one-half  of  the  school-time  is  devoted 
to  arithmetic  in  our  State.  Think  of  it :  more  time, 
in  this  year  1880,  is  devoted  to  this  one  branch  of 
study  than  to  writing,  spelling,  geography,  and 
grammar ;  none  to  literature  and  composition !  Let 
the  teachers  of  these  schools  cut  down  the  time 


36  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

given  to  this  subject,  to  a  period  within  the  bounds 
of  reason,  and  introduce  composition,  letter-writ- 
ing, and  business  forms.  Let  them  stop  working 
mathematical  puzzles,  which  are  about  as  profitable 
as  the  famous  fifteen  puzzle,  and  turn  their  atten- 
tion to  reading,  to  improving  themselves  in  litera- 
ture, to  acquainting  themselves  with  the  lives  and 
writings  of  great  authors,  and  let  them  take  the 
results  of  this  work  into  their  school-rooms,  and 
they  will  revolutionize  the  country  schools  of  Ohio. 

In  our  city  schools,  less  time,  to  be  sure,  is 
given  in  the  programs ;  still,  taking  into  consider- 
ation the  amount  of  home  work  required  of  the  pu- 
pils, and  the  extra  time  taken  to  ' '  bring  up ' '  the 
arithmetic,  it  is  entirely  too  much.  A  half  hour 
per  day  in  the  lower  grades,  and  forty  minutes  in 
the  upper,  are  amply  sufficient.  But  the  teachers 
have  been  made  to  feel  that  high  per  cents  in  arith- 
metic are  the  sine-qua-non  of  their  success ;  hence, 
driving  and  cramming  for  per  cents  largely  take 
the  place  of  judicious  teachings,  to  the  great  detri- 
ment of  the  pupils. 

Fellow-teachers,  let  us  use  all  our  influence 
against  this  cramming,  stultifying  process,  this  driv- 
ing for  per  cents,  and  learn  to  teach  according  to 
the  natural,  the  objective,  the  developing  method. 
Inspire  pupils  with  higher  and  nobler  aspirations 
than  are  to  be  found  in  monthly  averages,  and  let 
the  measure  of  time  devoted  to  each  subject,  and 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  37 

the  methods  employed  in  teaching  the  same,  be 
determined,  not  by  the  question,  How  shall  we  ob- 
tain the  highest  per  cents?  but  by  what  will  best 
benefit  our  pupils  in  after  life.  This  done,  and 
there  will  be  not  only  better  instruction  in  all  the 
branches,  but  much  more  prominence  will  be  given 
to  language,  to  composition  and  literature,  and  our 
youth  will  grow  up  under  such  tuition,  to  be  more 
intelligent,  useful,  and  influential  citizens. 

Another  mistake,  and  one  that  has  a  more  di- 
rect bearing  on  my  subject,  as  it  affects  the  tastes 
of  pupils  for  reading,  is  the  pernicious  method  of 
teaching  history  usually  pursued.  I  refer  to  the 
stultifying  process  of  compelling  children  to  com- 
mit to  memory  text-books  on  this  subject.  No  his- 
torian, as  no  mineralogist  or  chemist,  was  ever 
made  by  committing  text-books  to  memory.  His- 
tory can  not  be  taught  successfully  by  the  me- 
moriter  plan.  It  destroys  the  life  of  the  subject. 
It  disgusts  the  pupils,  and  gives  them  a  dislike  for 
historical  reading.  As  the  pupils  take  no  inter- 
est in  the  subject,  it  is  soon  forgotten,  and  there 
remains  only  the  bitter  recollection  of  tiresome 
hours  devoted  to  what,  if  properly  taught,  brings 
profit  and  pleasure.  As  one  of  the  principal  ob- 
jects of  this  paper  is  to  show  how  to  interest  youth 
in  good  reading,  I  will  briefly  explain,  not  only 
how  history  can  be  made  intensely  interesting  and 
exceedingly  instructive  to  pupils,  but  how  a  love 


38  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

of  historical  research  can  be  implanted  in  them 
that  will  remain  with  them  through  life,  and  very 
largely  influence  their  subsequent  reading.  First, 
all  written  percented  examinations  in  this  subject 
should  be  abolished.  What  is  said  in  the  text-book 
should  be  read  by  the  pupils  under  the  direction  of 
the  teacher.  The  teacher  should  see  that  they 
thoroughly  understand  what  they  read,  and  at  each 
lesson  should  question  them  in  brief  review  of 
the  previous  lesson;  should  read,  or  cause  to  be 
read,  parts  of  other  histories,  or  reference  books 
(encyclopaedias,  gazetteers,  etc.),  that  bear  upon 
the  subject  of  the  lesson;  should  also  give  out 
questions,  the  answers  to  which  the  pupils  are  to 
find  for  themselves ;  and  should  encourage  them  to 
relate  anecdotes  and  short  stories  from  history,  and 
to  give  sketches  of  noted  events  to  their  classmates. 
But  history  should  be  taught  principally  by 
biography.  Biography  is  the  soul  of  history.  The 
life  of  a  great  personage,  as  of  Cromwell,  Napo- 
leon, or  Washington,  contains  nearly  everything 
of  importance  in  the  history  of  the  tune  and  coun- 
try in  which  he  lived.  Nothing  is  more  entertain- 
ing to  the  young  than  the  lives  of  the  great  men 
and  women  who  have  borne  a  prominent  part  in 
the  world.  I  am  not  advocating  a  new  theory. 
This  method  has  been  tried  for  two  years  in  Cin- 
cinnati, and,  in  one  school  alone,  more  than  five 
hundred  historical  and  biographical  sketches  were 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  39 

read  within  the  past  year,  and  in  one  class,  sixty- 
four  biographical  sketches  were  given  by  the  pupils 
to  their  classmates,  and  the  constant  allusions  to 
other  lives  than  those  under  actual  discussion  led  to 
a  wide  field  of  further  research.  In  a  class  in  United 
States  history,  I  would  not  confine  the  biographical 
work  to  our  own  country,  but  would  encourage  the 
children  to  read  and  recite  sketches  of  noted  per- 
sons of  other  countries  and  of  different  ages.  If 
the  method  briefly  indicated  above  be  pursued,  the 
class  will  become  enthusiastic  in  the  subject  of  his- 
tory, and  will  gain  a  vast  amount  of  valuable  in- 
formation of  which  they  would  otherwise  remain 
in  ignorance ;  but,  above  all,  they  will  form  the 
habit  of  reading  historical  works,  and  this  will  re- 
main with  them  through  life.  In  teaching  geogra- 
phy a  similar  plan  should  be  pursued.  Gazetteers 
and  encyclopaedias  should  be  consulted,  and  books 
of  travel  should  be  read  by  the  pupils. 

Another  mistake  consists  in  giving  too  much 
time  in  the  reading  lesson  to  mere  imitatvve  read- 
ing, and  not  enough  to  logical  analysis  and  prac- 
tice in  ascertaining  the  meaning  of  the  words  and 
sentences.  Children  should  be  impressed  with  the 
fact,  that  the  principal  object  of  reading  is  to  ob- 
tain the  ideas  and  thoughts  of  others,  and,  there- 
fore, they  should  early  accustom  themselves  to 
discover  the  meaning  of  what  they  read,  that  no 
word,  no  sentence  may  be  passed  over  without 


40  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

being  understood.  The  dictionary  should  be  the 
constant  companion  of  the  pupil  of  grammar  and 
high  schools.  Would  you  neglect  the  elocutionary 
side  of  the  subject?  I  am  asked.  By  no  means. 
No  one  places  a  higher  value  on  elocution,  on  the 
beautiful  rendering  of  the  reading  lesson,  than  I  do ; 
but  I  insist  that  it  is  the  duty  of  the  teacher  to  see 
that  the  passage  is  thoroughly  understood  by  the 
pupils  before  she  attempts  to  drill  them  in  the 
elocution. 

GEMS  OF  LITERATURE 

Morality — if  under  this  head  may  be  placed 
honesty,  patriotism,  and  good-will  to  men — ought 
ever  to  come  within  the  scope  of  school  work ;  for 
morality,  in  this  sense/  is  the  dearest  element  of 
the  good  citizen,  and  the  good  citizen  is  the  prime 
object  of  education.  Our  country  has  less  lack  of 
intelligence  than  of  public  honesty  and  private 
fair  dealing ;  less  lack  of  knowledge  than  of  in- 
clination toward  a  noble  life, — which  facts  show 
that  something  in  the  present  order  of  society  is 
either  fundamentally  wrong  or  deplorably  weak. 
But  where  shall  we  seek  a  remedy?  When  and 
how  begin  to  mend?  The  subject  of  moral  prog- 
ress does  not  belong  solely  to  the  religious  world. 
It  is  not  altogether  a  matter  of  religion — it  is  a 
matter  of  that  good  sense,  that  idea  of  public 
utility,  which  considers  the  welfare  of  the  imme- 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  41 

diate  present,  and  looks  with  a  benevolent  eye  to 
an  improved  manhood  in  the  future. 

We  can  not  serve  the  future  of  this  world  in  a 
better  way  than  in  taking  care  of  the  present  of 
the  children.  It  is  in  our  power  greatly  to  elevate 
the  world  in  morals.  We  can  do  this  by  introduc- 
ing into  our  educational  system  a  factor  whose  ob- 
ject shall  be  to  give  the  proper  direction  to  the 
child's  thoughts — to  implant  in  his  mind  correct 
conceptions  of  the  world,  and  his  place  in  it — true 
ideas  of  his  duty  to  his  neighbor  and  his  country, 
and  of  his  relations  to  the  inferior  world  around 
him.  "  As  a  man  thinketh,  so  is  he. ' '  Children 
should  be  led  to  think  properly,  that  they  may  be 
enabled  to  act  justly  and  generously.  And  it  would 
be  far  safer,  both  for  them  and  the  community,  if 
their  acts  were  directed  by  fixed  principles  rather 
than  by  sudden  and  untrustworthy  impulses.  Now, 
as  it  is  undeniable  that  to  many  the  age  of  maturity 
does  not  bring  with  it  those  established  ideas  of 
right  and  wrong — those  healthy  conceptions  which 
characterize  the  model  citizen — I,  for  one,  feel  the 
necessity  for  a  new  feature  in  education,  whose  ob- 
ject shall  be  advancement  in  a  moral  way.  I  con- 
sider it  our  duty  to  attempt  what  I  have  here  indi- 
cated. We  owe  it  to  the  pupils  as  being  our 
fellow-creatures ;  to  the  State,  as  being  essential  to 
that  good  citizenship  which  is  the  first  object  of 
free  education. 


42  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

The  question  is  as  to  the  method.  My  idea,  as 
many  of  you  know,  is  to  make  use  of  the  gems  of 
literature. 

The  literature  of  the  world  embodies  a  uni- 
versal moral  creed.  In  its  fullness,  here  and  there, 
may  be  found  the  holy  teachings  of  the  Bible,  in 
language  pleasing  to  the  ear  of  youth,  and  in  form 
adapted  to  his  understanding. 

A  judicious  selection  of  noble  passages,  though 
it  may  not  be  able  to  do  all  we  could  wish  in  a 
moral  way,  can  certainly  do  much  to  raise  men  to 
a  high  moral,  political,  and  social  plane.  It  may 
not  make  men  prayerful,  but  it  can  make  them  re- 
spectful and  respectable.  It  may  not  give  them 
the  wisdom  of  statesmen,  but  it  can  make  them  in- 
telligent voters  and  fervent  patriots.  It  may  not 
fit  them  for  a  future  life,  but  it  can  do  much  to- 
wards making  this  one  pleasant  to  themselves  and 
for  their  fellow-men.  It  can  put  a  light  into  their 
hearts  that  will  illumine  many  of  earth's  darkest 
places. 

Gems  of  literature  introduced  into  the  schools, 
if  properly  taught,  will  do  this,  partly  by  their 
own  directive  influence  on  the  young  mind,  but 
principally  as  being  such  a  draft  upon  the  fountain 
of  higher  literature  as  shall  result  in  an  abiding 
thirst  for  noble  reading.  The  right  kind  of  read- 
ing will  induce  the  right  kind  of  thinking,  and 
proper  thinking  will  insure  correct  conduct. 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  43 

What  harmony  their  introduction  into  our 
schools  assures  us !  The  religious  world  can  not 
object  to  it,  for  all  such  teaching  runs  in  parallel 
lines  with  that  of  the  Bible ;  indeed,  some  of  the 
selections  should  be  taken  from  the  Bible.  The 
secular  world  will  get  from  it  nothing  it  can  possi- 
bly object  to.  At  the  shrine  of  noble  thoughts, 
the  devotees  of  all  creeds  may  bow  as  brothers. 
Let  the  public  schools  be  the  instrument  of  form- 
ing this  common  love  for  the  noble  and  beautiful, 
and  who  will  but  acknowledge  they  have  performed 
a  work  of  greatest  utility  to  man,  and  added  many 
fold  to  their  present  value  as  factors  in  human 
progress? 

Too  often  the  boy's  education  has  been  no 
broader  than  his  business  expectations ;  his  happi- 
ness as  a  man,  and  his  worth  as  a  citizen,  have 
not  been  taken  into  account.  The  principles  are 
too  narrow  for  an  age  that  is  looking  for  good  men 
as  well  as  for  good  accountants  and  grammarians. 
They  are  unnecessarily  narrow ;  they  leave,  as  it 
were,  broad  fields  of  fertile  soil  untilled ;  and  this 
soil  must  be  tilled  to  bear  fruit.  For  example,  a 
man  can  not  understand  what  it  is  to  be  a  patriot 
in  the  highest  sense  of  the  word  until  he  has  been 
led  to  understand  and  value  patriotism.  But  on 
abstract  or  grand  subjects,  like  patriotism,  there  is 
an  unwillingness  or  incapacity  in  most  minds  to 
think.  Such  minds  must  be  enlarged  before  pa- 


44  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

triotism  can  be  anything  to  them  but  a  barren 
name.  But  may  not  patriotic  passages,  under  a  wise 
teacher,  promote  the  necessary  growth?  For  who, 
even  among  the  educated,  has  not  felt  a  tinge  of 
shame  at  the  dullness  of  his  own  patriotism  on 
reading  Grimke's  beautiful  lines,  beginning — 

"  We  can  not  honor  our  country  with  too  deep  a  rev- 
erence. We  can  not  love  her  with  an  affection  too  pure 
and  fervent.  We  can  not  serve  her  with  an  energy  of 
purpose  or  a  faithfulness  of  zeal  too  steadfast  and  ar- 
dent." 

Or  Scott's,  beginning : 

"  Breathes  there  a  man  with  soul  so  dead 
Who  never  to  himself  hath  said, 
'This  is  my  own,  my  native  land !' " 

Or  "Webster's  "Liberty  and  Union." 

The  practice,  therefore,  of  memorizing  the 
choice  thoughts  of  our  best  writers  should  be  made 
a  prominent  feature  of  school  work.  Oliver  Wen- 
dell Holmes  says,  "There  is  no  place  which  an 
author's  thoughts  can  nestle  in  so  securely  as  the 
memory  of  a  school-boy  or  a  school-girl. ' '  It  is, 
also,  in  accord  with  the  advice  of  Arthur  Helps, 
who  says :  "  "We  should  lay"  up  in  our  minds  a  store 
of  goodly  thoughts,  in  well-wrought  words,  which 
shall  be  a  living  treasure  of  knowledge  always  with 
us,  and  from  which,  at  various  times  and  amidst 
all  the  shifting  of  circumstances,  we  might  be  sure  of 
drawing  some  comfort,  guidance,  and  sympathy." 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  45 

The  idea  of  its  introduction  is  not  new  in  the 
history  of  education.  In  a  similar  manner  the 
Germans  have  long  been  in  the  habit  of  training 
their  children  in  the  knowledge  and  admiration  of 
the  literature  of  their  own  land.  The  Arabs,  the 
most  civilized  nation  of  the  medieval  world,  taught 
their  young  to  repeat  the  undying  thoughts  of  their 
poets,  under  the  beautiful  name  of  unstrung  pearls. 
Plato  pictures  the  boys  on  long  benches,  in  the 
schools  of  Greece,  receiving  moral  instruction 
through  hearing  and  reciting  the  poetry  of  her 
classic  authors. 

For  the  greater  part,  the  selections  for  the 
younger  children  should  consist  of  entire  poems, 
and  of  such  as  are  calculated  to  develop  their  emo- 
tional natures — the  imagination,  love  of  home  and 
parents,  kindness  to  dumb  animals,  etc. — and  to 
give  them  correct  rules  of  action.  Those  for  the 
more  advanced  pupils  should  consist  principally  of 
brief  extracts,  containing  grand  and  ennobling 
thoughts,  calculated  to  incite  them  to  higher  aspi- 
rations in  life,  to  lead  them  into  rich  fields  of  Eng- 
lish literature,  and  to  teach  them  to  love  and  rev- 
erence great  authors.  In  the  selection  of  gems, 
especially  for  the  younger  children,  poetry  has  the 
preference;  for  it  inculcates  a  double  beauty — 
beauty  as  thought  and  beauty  as  composition.  It 
is  more  easily  committed  to  memory,  and,  as  a  rule, 
longer  retained.  "The  taste  for  harmony,  the 


46  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

poetical  ear, ' '  says  Miss  Aiken,  ' '  if  ever  acquired, 
is  so  almost  in  infancy.  The  flow  of  numbers 
easily  impresses  itself  upon  the  memory,  and  is 
with  difficulty  erased.  By  the  aid  of  verse,  a  store 
of  beautiful  imagery  and  glowing  sentiment  may 
be  gathered  up  as  the  amusement  of  childhood, 
which,  in  riper  years,  may  beguile  the  heavy  hours 
of  languor,  solitude,  and  sorrow;  may  enforce 
sentiments  of  piety,  humility,  and  tenderness ;  may 
soothe  the  soul  to  calmness,  rouse  it  to  honorable 
exertion,  or  fire  it  with  virtuous  indignation." 

"  They  who  have  known  what  it  is,"  remarks 
"Willmot  in  "Pleasures,  Objects,  and  Advantages 
of  Literature, "  "  when  afar  from  books,  in  solitude 
or  in  traveling,  or  in  intervals  of  worldly  care,  to 
feed  on  poetical  recollections,  to  recall  the  senti- 
ments and  images  which  retain  by  association  the 
charm  that  early  years  once  gave  them,  will  feel 
the  inestimable  value  of  committing  to  memory,  in 
the  prime  of  its  power,  what  it  will  receive  and 
indelibly  retain.  He  who  has  drunk  from  the 
pure  springs  of  intellect  in  his  youth,  will  continue 
to  draw  from  them  in  the  heat,  the  burden,  and 
the  decline  of  the  day.  The  corrupted  streams  of 
popular  entertainment  flow  by  him  unregarded." 

The  great  Coleridge  says :  ' '  Poetry  has  been 
to  me  '  an  exceeding  great  reward. '  It  has  soothed 
my  afflictions ;  it  has  multiplied  and  refined  my  en- 
joyments ;  it  has  endeared  my  solitude ;  and  it  has 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  47 

given  me  the  habit  of  wishing  to  discover  the  good 
and  beautiful  in    all    that   meets   and  surrounds 


me.' 


HOW  TO  TEACH  GEMS  OF  LITERATURE 

At  least  fifteen  minutes  per  day  should  be  given 
to  this  literary  work  in  all  the  district,  grammar, 
and  high  schools  throughout  the  country. 

In  Cincinnati  a  part  of  this  time  is  taken  from 
that  assigned  to  morning  exercises,  and  a  part  from 
Friday  afternoon.  However,  this  is  left  to  the 
discretion  of  the  teacher. 

I  recommend  eight  lines  as  a  fair  amount  for 
each  week's  work.  At  this  rate  the  pupils,  in  pass- 
ing through  the  district  and  grammar  schools,  would 
commit  2,560  lines,  and  in  passing  through  the  dis- 
trict, grammar,  and  high  schools,  3,840  lines, 
which  is  equivalent  to  128  pages  of  one  of  our 
Fifth  Headers.  Who  is  there  who  would  not  be 
glad,  to  have  his  mind  enriched  by  3, 540  lines  of  the 
gems  of  literature?  "Who  would  not  be  the  better 
by  having  such  a  treasure  of  the  purest,  most 
beautiful  and  elevating  thoughts  of  our  American 
and  English  authors  stored  up  in  the  memory? 

But  important  as  it  is,  it  is  not  enough  that  the 
selections  be  simply  memorized.  Each  one  of 
them  should  be  made  the  subject  of  lessons  given 
by  the  teachers. 

For  example,  suppose  the  teacher  should  select 


48  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

for  the  pupils  to  memorize  the  following  beautiful 
extract  from  Whittier's  "  Snow  Bound :"  6 

"Alas  for  him  who  never  sees 
The  stars  shine  through  his  cypress  trees  1 
Who  hopeless  lays  his  dead  away, 
Nor  looks  to  see  the  breaking  day 
Across  the  mournful  marbles  play ! 
Who  hath  not  learned  in  hours  of  faith 

The  truth,  to  flesh  and  sense  unknown, 
That  Life  is  ever  lord  of  Death, 

And  Love  can  never  lose  its  own !" 

The  teacher  should  give  a  talk  on  the  immor- 
tality of  the  soul,  on  the  fond  anticipation  of  meet- 
ing our  dear  ones  beyond  the  grave ;  should  speak 
of  the  beauties  of  ' '  Snow  Bound, ' '  the  greatest 
American  idyl,  and  give  the  connection  in  which 
these  lines  occur ;  should  bring  out  the  meaning  of 
' '  the  stars  shine  through  his  cypress  trees ' '  and  of 
every  other  figurative  expression ;  in  brief,  should 
see  that  the  pupils  understand  every  word  and 
phrase ;  that  they  give  the  substance  of  the  passage 
in  their  own  language,  and  make  the  proper  appli- 
cation of  the  same,  before  requiring  them  to  commit 
to  memory.  But,  above  all,  he  should  endeavor  to 
imbue  their  minds  with  the  spirit  of  the  extract. 
At  least  one  lesson  should  be  given  on  the  beau- 
tiful life  and  character  of  the  poet. 

Again,  suppose  a  series  of  lessons  are  to  be  given 
to  the  pupils  of  one  of  the  higher  grades,  on  the 
importance  of  protecting  insect-destroying  birds — 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  49 

and  lessons  on  this  subject  should  be  given  in  every 
schoolhouse  in  the  land — how  could  the  instruc- 
tion be  more  impressively  imparted  than  by  telling 
the  story  of  the  ' '  Birds  of  Killingworth ' '  by  Long- 
fellow, and  drawing  from  it  the  lesson  intended  to 
be  conveyed  by  the  author,  and  then  fixing  that 
lesson  in  the  minds  of  the  pupils  by  having  them 
memorize,  after  thorough  preparation,  the  follow- 
ing lines  of  the  preceptor : 

"Do  you  ne'er  think  what  wondrous  beings  these? 

Do  you  ne'er  think  who  made  them,  and  who  taught 
The  dialect  they  speak,  whose  melodies 

Alone  are  the  interpreters  of  thought? 
Whose  household  words  are  songs  in  many  keys 

Sweeter  than  instrument  of  man  e'er  caught? 
Whose  habitations  in  the  treetops  even 
Are  half-way  houses  on  the  road  to  heaven ! 

Think  every  morning  when  the  sun  peeps  through 
The  dim,  leaf -latticed  windows  of  the  grove, 

How  jubilant  the  happy  birds  renew 
Their  old  melodious  madrigals  of  love  I 

And  when  you  think  of  this,  remember,  too, 
'T  is  always  morning  somewhere,  and  above 

The  awakening  continents,  from  shore  to  shore, 

Somewhere  the  birds  are  singing  evermore." 

Yes,  in  this  beautiful  world  that  God  has  made, 

"  'Tis  always  morning  somewhere,  and  above 
The  awakening  continents,  from  shore  to  shore, 
Somewhere  the  birds  are  singing  evermore." 

What  an  opportunity  is  given  in  this  work  for 
our  teachers  to  impart  moral  and  literary  instruc- 
4 


50  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

tion ;  to  cultivate  the  emotional  nature  of  children, 
to  inspire  in  them  a  love  of  the  noble,  the  good, 
and  the  pure !  Such  instruction  must  bear  beauti- 
ful fruit. 

After  the  selections  have  been  thoroughly  mem- 
orized, the  attention  of  the  teacher  should  be  given 
to  the  elocution — to  the  beautiful  rendering  of  the 
same.  This  can  be  done  well  by  concert  drill. 
The  concert  should  be  supplemented  by  individual 
recitation,  at  the  time  set  apart  for  declamation.  If, 
however,  for  want  of  time,  any  part  of  the  work 
indicated  above  is  to  be  neglected,  it  should  be  the 
individual  recitation ;  for  declamation  is  secondary 
to  the  committal  to  memory  of  literary  gems.  The 
name  of  the  author — I  require  the  full  name — 
should  be  given  at  the  close  of  each  reading  or 
recitation,  in  order  to  associate  it  with  the  selection. 

In  connection  with  this  work,  sketches  of  the 
lives  and  writings  of  the  best  and  most  worthy 
authors  should  be  given,  at  least  to  all  the  pupils 
above  the  fifth  year  of  school,  and  they  should  be 
encouraged  to  find  out  for  themselves  interesting 
facts  concerning  authors  and  their  writings,  and  to 
give  sketches  of  the  same  to  their  classmates,  as  I 
have  already  recommended  in  connection  with  the 
lessons  on  history.  Here  I  recommend  that  the 
teacher,  or  a  pupil  under  the  advice  of  the  teacher, 
read  the  entire  piece,  when  appropriate,  from  which 
the  extract  is  taken,  or  some  other  selection  from 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  51 

the  same  author,  as  "Birds  of  Killing  worth,"  by 
Longfellow ;  * '  Snow  Bound, ' '  by  Whittier ;  one  of 
"Timothy  Titcomb's  Letters,"  by  J.  G.  Holland; 
a  story  from  Hawthorne's  "Wonder  Book,"  etc. 

TEACHERS  SHOULD  FAMILIARIZE   THEMSELVES 
WITH   BOOKS 

Moreover,  teachers  should  familiarize  them- 
selves with  books  adapted  to  the  mental  develop- 
ment of  their  pupils,  and  bring  such  books  to 
school  when  possible,  and  talk  about  them,  and 
have  the  children  read  selections  from  them.  A 
little  time — say  a  half -hour  per  week — could  with 
advantage  be  set  apart  for  this  work  in  grammar 
and  high  schools.  In  the  normal  school  much 
more  time  than  this  should  be  given  to  acquainting 
the  students,  who  are  themselves  to  become  teach- 
ers, with  the  titles  and  contents  of  good  books 
adapted  to  young  readers ;  indeed,  this  important 
work  should  be  made  a  prominent  feature  in  the 
programs  of  the  normal  schools  of  our  country. 

AUTHOR-DAY  CELEBRATIONS 

In  connection  with  moral  and  literary  training 
in  public  schools,  and  as  an  important  part  of  the 
same,  I  urge  the  celebrations  of  the  lives  and 
writings  of  distinguished  and  worthy  authors. 

These  celebrations  may  consist  of  compositions 
on  the  life  of  the  writer,  of  individual  and  con- 


52  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

cert  recitation  of  gems,  of  declamation,  instru- 
mental music,  of  singing,  and  of  appropriate  talks 
by  teachers  and  friends  of  the  schools. 

Author-day  celebrations  interest  the  pupils  in 
the  writers  and  their  works  as  nothing  else  can. 
They  educate  the  whole  community.  The  celebra- 
tion of  the  birthdays  of  Whittier  and  Longfellow, 
and  of  the  Gary  sisters,  has  caused  an  increased 
demand  for  their  books,  not  only  in  Hamilton 
county,  but  in  other  and  distant  parts  of  the 
country;  and  every  good  book  that  goes  into  a 
family  is  a  moral  and  educational  force.  I  repeat, 
every  good  book  that  goes  into  a  family  is  a  moral 
and  educational  force.  It  has  not  only  multiplied 
the  number  of  their  readers,  but  that  of  many 
other  great  authors  in  American  and  English  lit- 
erature. 

Longfellow  and  "Whittier,  names  comparatively 
unknown  to  the  children  of  Cincinnati  two  years 
ago  (1878),  are  now  as  familiar  to  them  as  those  of 
their  own  playmates.  Hereafter  they  will  be 
looked  upon  by  the  youth  of  that  city,  not  only  as 
great  and  noble  writers,  but  as  dear  old  friends, 
whom  they  fondly  love.  To  me,  this  attachment 
of  the  children  to  those  great  and  pure  men  is  a 
touching  and  pleasing  result  of  the  celebrations. 

These  celebrations,  from  year  to  year,  should 
include,  not  only  poets  and  prose  writers,  but  also 
great  statesmen,  inventors,  and  others. 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  53 

"The  poets  who  in  song  translate 

Emotions  they  alone  have  read  ; 
The  patriots  stern  who  challenge  fate, 

And  walk  with  more  than  mailed  tread  ; 
The  sages  who  the  truth  distill, — 
Let  these  the  child  love  if  he  will." 

— JOSEPH  W.  MILLER. 

But  we  should  celebrate  those  only  who  have 
led  pure  and  noble  lives,  whose  moral  character  and 
private  worth  will  call  forth  the  admiration  of  the 
children,  and  set  them  examples  worthy  of  imi- 
tation. 

HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR  A  CELEBRATION 

I  receive  so  many  letters  making  inquiry  re- 
garding Author-day  celebrations — manner  of  prep- 
aration, time  given — that  I  have  concluded  to 
make  a  plain  statement  on  the  subject  at  this  time. 

A  number  of  weeks  previous  to  a  celebration, 
I  make  selections,  from  the  author  whose  birthday 
is  to  be  celebrated,  of  gem-thoughts,  to  be  mem- 
orized by  all  the  pupils  in  the  grades  taking  part, 
and  issue  instructions  to  the  principals  of  the  sev- 
eral schools  to  devote  the  regular  time — fifteen 
minutes  per  day — given  in  the  course  of  study  to 
gem-learning,  to  teaching  these  or  other  appropriate 
selections  that  they  may  make  from  the  same  au- 
thor. No  extra  time,  therefore,  is  taken  by  the 
pupils  for  this  part  of  the  work ;  for  they  memo- 
rize selections  from  the  special  author  instead  of 


54  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

those  from  miscellaneous  authors.  The  composi- 
tions by  the  pupils,  which  are  usually  based  upon 
talks  given  by  the  superintendent  of  schools,  to 
all  the  pupils,  on  the  life  and  writings  of  the  au- 
thor, are  written  during  the  regular  time  set  apart 
for  compositions  in  the  school  programs ;  the  dec- 
lamations (individual  recitations)  are  learned  out- 
side of  school-hours ;  the  songs  are  prepared  dur- 
ing the  regular  bells  for  singing.  It  should  be 
added  here  that,  as  a  further  preparation,  the 
teachers  and  pupils  usually  decorate  the  black- 
boards with  mottoes,  and  with  "memory  gems" 
from  the  author,  in  ornamental  letters  and  in  beau- 
tiful settings;  also,  with  colored  crayon  sketches, 
etc.,  and  frequently  the  walls  of  the  school-rooms, 
with  the  portraits  of  the  author  and  other  pictures. 
This  is  apart  from  the  temporary  decorations  by 
flags,  flowers,  etc. ,  for  the  occasion.  In  this  con- 
nection, let  me  say,  that  but  two  general  celebra- 
tions of  authors'  birthdays  are  held  each  year.  In 
addition,  however,  the  schools  celebrate  Christmas, 
"Washington's  Birthday,  and  "Arbor-day,"  the 
preparations  for  which  are  made  in  a  similar 
manner. 

Exclusive  of  '  'Arbor-day, ' '  the  greatest  amount 
of  time  devoted  to  celebrations  is  four  afternoons, 
or,  including  the  recesses,  ten  hours  per  year,  and 
except  on  these  afternoons  there  is  no  interference 
with  the  regular  recitations. 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  55 

Do  the  little  children  in  the  primary  grades  take 
part?  I  am  asked.  Yes,  usually,  all  from  the  first 
year  of  the  school  through  the  high  school.  Of 
course,  some  of  the  celebrations,  as  those  of  the 
first  settlement  of  Ohio,  and  of  the  birthday  of 
Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  are  confined  to  the  normal 
and  high  schools ;  but  all  the  schools  take  part  in 
celebrations  like  that,  for  example,  of  Dr.  Holmes, 
which  will  take  place  in  December  next,  and  for 
which  preparations  are  now  being  made.  Indeed, 
Mr.  President,  the  reason  why  I  was  not  in  attend- 
ance upon  this  Convention  yesterday  was  because  I 
was  engaged,  and  had  been  so  for  over  two  weeks, 
in  giving  talks  on  Dr.  Holmes  and  his  writings, 
to  teachers  and  pupils  of  the  Cincinnati  schools. 
Of  course,  we  do  not  expect  the  little  folks  in  the 
primary  grades  to  understand  Dr.  Holmes' s  writ- 
ings; but  we  do  expect  to  impress  upon  their 
young  minds  that  Dr.  Holmes  is  a  great  and  good 
man,  who  has  written  beautiful  thoughts  that  they 
should  read  when  they  grow  up.  In  fact,  the  little 
ones  take  great  interest  in  the  celebrations,  and  re- 
ceive impressions  which  I  doubt  not  will  be  life- 
lasting.  Yes,  thousands  of  the  pupils  may  forget 
every  exercise  of  * '  Holmes  Day ; ' '  but  the  fact 
that  they  celebrated  the  day,  and  the  impression 
of  Dr.  Holmes,  made  by  the  celebration  upon  their 
young  minds,  will  never  be  effaced,  but  will  re- 
main a  pleasing  and  happy  remembrance. 


56  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

DECLAMATION  AND  SCHOOL  EXHIBITIONS 

You  are  aware  that  years  ago  it  was  the  almost 
universal  custom  for  teachers  to  set  apart  Friday 
afternoon  for  declamation.  But  the  exercise  in 
declamation  differed  widely  from  reciting  gems  of 
thought,  which  latter  I  advocate.  Then  the  pupils 
were  permitted  to  commit  to  memory  whatever  they 
thought  best.  The  result  was  that,  in  a  majority 
of  cases,  the  selections  contained  no  literary  or 
other  merit.  They  were  made  from  a  desire  on 
the  part  of  the  pupil  to  have  something  "new," 
or  to  create  a  laugh.  The  time  spent  in  commit- 
ting such  pieces  was,  in  my  opinion,  worse  than 
wasted ;  for  there  was  nothing  in  them  worth  re- 
membering. Their  effect  was  to  vitiate  the  taste 
of  the  pupils  for  good  literature,  rather  than  to 
give  them  a  love  of  it.  Declamation,  a  subject 
which  has  been  sadly  neglected  in  public  schools 
of  late  years,  is  a  valuable  exercise.  Its  tend- 
ency is  to  give  pupils  confidence  in  themselves, 
to  make  them  more  self-possessed,  and,  above 
all,  to  make  them  better  readers.  These  worthy 
objects  can  be  accomplished  better  by  reciting 
"gems"  than  by  declaiming  long  pieces,  as  was 
formerly  the  custom;  for  every  member,  even 
of  an  entire  class,  can  recite  a  short  extract  within 
the  time  of  an  ordinary  recitation,  and  each  learn 
from  hearing  the  others  declaim  the  same  selection. 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  57 

An  entire  piece,  now  and  then,  is  to  be  recom- 
mended. 

In  this  connection,  I  desire  to  speak  of  school 
exhibitions,  and  to  condemn  those  in  which  girls 
are  permitted  to  dress  in  ridiculous  costumes,  and 
recite  gossip  and  other  trash  in  dialogues ;  and  in 
which  boys  are  allowed  to  play  the  drunkard  or 
the  buffoon  upon  the  school  platform.  The  school 
is  no  place  for  such  exercises.  I  have  ever  looked 
on  them  as  degrading  in  their  tendencies.  Certainly 
no  one  will  say  that  they  are  elevating.  Children 
can  not  imitate  anything  beneath  them  without  be- 
coming the  worse  for  it.  When  a  lad  of  twelve 
years,  I  belonged  to  a  debating  club,  and  on  one 
occasion  the  club  gave  an  entertainment  in  "the 
old  town  hall ' '  for  the  purpose  of  raising  money 
with  which  to  purchase  new  books  for  the  library. 
One  of  the  numbers  upon  the  program  was  a  pan- 
tomime, in  which  one  of  the  older  boys  played  the 
part  of  a  monkey,  and  he  acted  the  part  so  well 
and  naturally  that  the  younger  children  of  the 
audience  thought  that  there  was  a  real  monkey 
upon  the  stage.  I  was  delighted.  The  next 
morning,  at  the  breakfast-table,  I  said  :  ' '  Father, 
you  ought  to  have  seen  Tom  play  the  monkey  last 
night.  He  did  it  splendidly.  You  would  have 
thought  that  he  was  a  real  monkey. ' '  My  father 
looked  at  me  steadily  from  across  the  table  for  a 
moment,  and  then,  in  a  deliberate  and  serious  tone 


58  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

of  voice,  replied :  * '  John,  do  you  think  it  any 
credit  to  Tom  to  play  the  part  of  a  monkey  well?" 
and,  pausing  again,  he  added,  "My  son,  never 
imitate  anything  beneath  yon. ' '  That  was  one  of 
the  most  important  lessons  I  ever  received,  and 
that  lesson  will  go  with  me  to  the  grave.  ' '  Never 
imitate  anything  beneath  yon."  O  that  I  conld 
stamp  that  sentence  of  my  revered  father  upon  the 
heart  of  every  school-boy  and  school-girl  in  the 
land !  Only  a  few  months  ago  a  father,  residing 
outside  of  Cincinnati,  appealed  to  me  for  advice 
in  regard  to  what  he  should  do  in  the  case  of  his 
boy,  who  had  been  suspended  from  school  by  the 
principal  because  he  would  not  consent  to  take  a 
low  comic  part  in  a  dialogue  at  the  school  exhibi- 
tion. I  said  to  him :  "  Stand  by  your  boy ;  he  is 
in  the  right.  It  is  time  that  teachers  who  have  no 
more  judgment  or  refinement  of  character  than  to 
compel — aye,  even  to  permit — their  pupils  to  play 
the  buffoon  or  the  drunkard,  upon  the  school  plat- 
form, were  out  of  the  school  system  of  this  coun- 
try. They  are  not  the  proper  persons  to  have 
charge  of  the  education  of  the  young." 

Do  not  misunderstand  me.  I  do  not  condemn 
exhibitions  properly  conducted ;  on  the  other  hand, 
I  believe  them  to  be  productive  of  great  good. 
Speaking  from  the  platform,  especially  before  large 
audiences,  is  an  excellent  practice.  It  gives  the 
pupils  that  training  and  that  confidence  in  them- 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  59 

selves  that  will  enable  many  of  them  in  after  years 
to  stand  before  public  bodies  and  express  their  own 
views.  It  also  makes  them  better  readers,  and  not 
infrequently  arouses  the  ambition  of  boys  to  make 
something  of  themselves  when  every  other  school 
exercise  had  failed  to  do  so.  But  all  these  and 
other  good  results  can  be  obtained  better  through 
elevating  and  refining  exercises  than  through  the 
low,  comic  performances  which  have  no  literary  or 
other  merit,  but  which  are  placed  upon  the  pro- 
gram to  create  laughter  and  clamor  in  the  audience. 
The  sooner  school  superintendents,  principals,  and 
teachers  appreciate  the  importance  of  teaching  their 
pupils  to  memorize  only  what  is  worth  remember- 
ing, that  which  is  enobling  in  its  character,  that 
which  tends  to  develop  a  love  of  the  good  and 
pure  in  literature,  to  the  end  that  they  may  grow 
up  into  a  worthy  manhood  and  womanhood,  the 
better  it  will  be  for  their  pupils  in  after  life. 

The  sentiments  expressed  in  this  article  have 
been  given  by  me  again  and  again  in  talks  to 
teachers  and  pupils  of  the  schools,  and  it  gives 
me  unusual  pleasure  to  bear  testimony  to  the 
remarkable  improvement,  I  may  almost  say  revolu- 
tion, that  has  been  made  in  the  character  of  the 
school  entertainments.  Reciting  trash  and  act- 
ing the  clown  at  school  entertainments  have  been 
abolished  in  the  Cincinnati  schools,  and  I  hope 
forever. 


60  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

Before  leaving  this  subject  let  me  say  that  the 
custom,  adopted  in  some  of  the  high  schools  of  the 
country,  of  having  the  scholars  of  the  upper  grades 
of  these  schools  organize  debating  clubs  among 
themselves,  is  a  commendable  one  and  should  be 
encouraged.  Of  course,  the  principal  of  the 
school,  or  teacher,  should  be  present  at  the  meet- 
ings to  see  that  order  and  decorum  are  main- 
tained, and  to  advise  and  direct,  when  neces- 
sary. Hon.  Charles  Sumner  was  once  asked,  in 
the  lobby  of  the  Senate  of  the  United  States, 
how  he  accounted  for  the  fact  that  so  many 
members  of  Congress  were  born  in  New  England. 
There  were  at  the  time,  if  I  remember  aright, 
thirty-six  who  were  natives  of  Vermont  alone. 
"Is  it,  Senator,"  asked  the  questioner,  "because 
of  her  great  colleges  and  universities?"  "I  think 
not,"  replied  Mr.  Sumner,  and  added,  "It  is  due 
to  her  debating  societies." 

CHILDREN  ARE  INTERESTED  IN  GEM  LEARNING 

I  have  never  known  anything  hi  school  work 
that  interested  the  children  more  than  this.  The 
interest  is  not  confined  to  the  upper  grades,  but 
pervades  all  classes,  from  the  first  year  of  school 
through  the  high  school. 

Children  love  to  commit  to  memory  beautiful 
selections,  and  recite  them  at  home  and  at  school. 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  61 

They  love  to  learn  of  the  lives  and  writings  of 
good  authors,  and  to  talk  about  them  to  their 
fathers  and  mothers. 

REMARKS  OF  A  NONAGENARIAN 

Here,  I  desire  to  call  your  attention  to  the  re- 
marks of  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Gale,  of  Mt.  Healthy,  O. , 
as  they  present  the  subject  of  memorizing  selec- 
tions in  another  light. 

Mrs.  Gale  is  the  aunt  of  J.  G.  Holland. 
' '  Dear  old  aunt ! ' '  writes  Dr.  Holland.  ' '  She  is 
the  only  living  link  that  binds  me  to  the  last  gen- 
eration." Mrs.  Gale,  though  ninety-two  years  of 
age  on  the  17th  of  last  December,  1879 — Whit- 
tier's  birthday — is  bright  and  intelligent. 

It  was  one  of  the  happiest  moments  of  my  life 
when  that  dear  old  lady,  then  in  her  ninety-third 
year,  holding  in  her  hand  a  pamphlet  of  selections  I 
had  sent  her,  said  to  me :  "  Mr.  Peaslee,  you  do  n't 
know  how  much  good  you  are  doing  by  introducing 
these  selections  into  the  schools.  You  do  n't  know 
how  the  children,  when  they  are  old,  will  appreciate 
them.  What  a  source  of  consolation  they  will  then 
be  to  them!  How  they  will  love  to  say  them 
over  and  over  again !  Why, ' '  said  she,  ' '  thinking 
over  and  repeating  the  little  poems  I  learned  in 
childhood  is  one  of  the  greatest  comforts  left  me 
now." 

She    then    recited    a    number    of    selections. 


62  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

Among  them  was  one  entitled,  "  To  My  "Watch,'* 
which  she  learned  at  home  when  a  child  only  four 
years  of  age.  I  wrote  the  piece  from  her  dictation, 
and  had  it  printed,  with  the  change,  suggested  by 
Dr.  Holland,  of  a  single  word,  the  word  "arrows" 
to  errors : 

TO  MY  WATCH 

Little  monitor,  by  thee 
Let  me  learn  what  I  should  be ; 
I  '11  learn  the  round  of  life  to  fill, 
Useful  and  progressive  still. 

Thou  canst  gentle  hints  impart 
How  to  regulate  the  heart ; 
When  I  wind  thee  up  at  night, 
Mark  each  fault  and  set  it  right ; 
Let  me  search  my  bosom,  too, 
And  my  daily  thoughts  review. 

I  '11  mark  the  movements  of  my  mind, 
Nor  be  easy  when  I  find 
Latent  errors  rise  to  view, 
Till  all  be  regular  and  true. 

This  incident  needs  no  comment  from  me.  It 
tells,  stronger  than  any  words  of  my  own,  how 
wonderfully  the  memory  retains  little  pieces  com- 
mitted to  its  precious  care  in  early  childhood. 

Yes,  these  beautiful  selections  will  be  remem- 
bered, and  will  influence  our  children  for  good, 
when  the  technicalities  of  their  grammar,  the  ab- 
strusities of  their  arithmetic,  and  the  obscure  loca- 
tions of  their  geographies,  are  forgotten. 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  63 

DIME-NOVEL  READING 

Among  the  greatest  powers  for  evil  are  the  low 
and  degrading  writings  that  our  boys  and  girls  read. 
Even  educators,  I  fear,  are  not  fully  aroused  to  the 
terrible  influence  this  reading  is  exerting  upon  the 
lives  and  character  of  the  young. 

In  a  lecture  on  "Fiction,"  before  a  Boston 
audience,  the  late  James  T.  Fields  said  that  he  had 
visited  the  Pomeroy  boy  in  prison,  and  asked  him 
if  he  ever  read  much.  "Yes,"  replied  the  boy, 
"I  have  read  a  great  deal. "  ""Well,  what  have 
you  read  ?  "  "  Principally  dime  novels. "  "  "What 
novel  did  you  like  best?"  The  boy  mentioned  a 
flashy  fiction,  "full  of  murders  and  pictures  of 
murders."  Doubtless  this  boy  is  by  nature  de- 
praved ;  but  the  immediate  cause  of  his  commit- 
ting his  horrible  acts  of  cruelty  was  the  reading  in 
which  he  indulged.  Not  long  ago  a  number  of 
lads  from  wealthy  and  refined  families  of  New 
York  City,  through  the  degrading  influence  of 
dime-novel  reading,  organized  themselves  into  a 
band  of  burglars.  Only  recently  two  youths  mur- 
dered an  old  gentleman  in  Ohio,  from  the  same 
cause.  How  frequently  we  read  in  the  daily  pa- 
pers of  boys  running  away  from  home,  with  cards, 
revolvers,  and  dime  novels  in  their  pockets !  Yet, 
compared  to  the  vast  numbers  of  our  youth  who 
are  demoralized  by  pernicious  reading,  the  cases 


64  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

that  are  reported  in  public  print  are  the  exceptions. 
The  influence  of  this  reading  is  seen  in  the  slang 
language  in  which  youth  indulge,  in  their  disrespect 
for  parental  authority,  in  their  treatment  of  the 
aged,  in  the  wrong  ideas  of  life  which  they  enter- 
tain, and  in  a  general  spirit  of  insubordination. 

Let  us  look  at  the  circumstances  in  which  our 
youth  are  placed  in  regard  to  literature.  At  the 
homes  of  a  large  part  of  them  there  is  scarcely  a 
book,  except  the  text-books  of  the  children  them- 
selves. At  the  homes  of  a  majority  of  those  re- 
maining, may  be  found  a  few  books  upon  the  parlor 
table,  which  are  usually  considered  by  the  parents 
as  too  nice  for  the  children  to  read.  It  is  safe  to 
say  that  very  few  indeed  of  our  youth  have  access 
to  a  good  home  library.  That  child  who  is  trained 
at  home  to  a  love  of  reading  good  books,  is  the  ex- 
ception. Is  it  any  wonder,  then,  that  the  young 
yield  to  the  temptations  to  read  the  worst  kind  of 
story  papers  and  novels,  which  are  everywhere 
thrown  around  them? 

In  addition  to  other  enticements,  we  find,  near 
all  the  large  school-houses  of  our  cities,  shops 
which  keep,  besides  pens,  pencils,  and  school-books, 
a  large  assortment  of  trashy  story  papers  and 
novels.  What  a  comment  on  the  public  schools ! 
The  venders  of  these  papers  place  those  having 
pictures  of  murders  and  Indian  outrages,  etc.,  in 
the  windows. 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  65 

The  children,  attracted  by  these  pictures,  get 
the  papers  and  read  the  stories.  They  soon  become 
intensely  interested  in  the  stories  and  in  the  slang 
language  in  which  they  are  written.  The  boys 
and  girls  buy  novels  of  the  same  or  of  a  worse 
tendency,  for  from  five  to  ten  cents.  These  are 
purchased  and  devoured,  and  thus  by  degrees  is 
formed  the  habit  of  reading  this  pernicious  class  of 
writings. 

The  children  are  not  to  blame.  There  is  noth- 
ing in  their  home  surroundings  to  counteract  these 
evil  tendencies.  The  schools  have  been  standing 
by,  saying,  "Don't  touch,  don't  touch,"  but 
doing  little  or  nothing  to  interest  the  pupils  in 
good  reading. 

In  general,  the  above  is  a  true  picture  of 
the  schools  of  Cincinnati  a  few  years  ago ;  but  of 
late  years,  through  this  literary  and  moral  training 
and  through  our  method  of  teaching  history,  there 
has  been  a  decided  change  for  the  better.  Every 
school  in  our  city  has  felt  the  beneficial  effects  of 
this  literary  and  moral  work.  I  have  been  in- 
formed by  teacher  after  teacher  in  the  interme- 
diate (grammar)  schools  that,  while  formerly  they 
were  frequently  troubled  by  pupils  bringing 
dime  novels  to  school,  they  have  not  known 
a  single  instance  of  the  kind  since  systematic  in- 
struction in  gem-learning  and  the  celebration  of 
authors'  birthdays  were  introduced  into  the  schools. 


66  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  READING  GOOD  BOOKS 

Apart  from  the  mere  rudiments  of  an  educa- 
tion, what  our  children  are  reading  is  of  far  more 
importance  than  what  studies  they  are  pursuing  in 
school.  In  my  opinion,  a  boy  who  leaves  at  the 
end  of  a  common-school  course  with  a  love  of 
reading  good  books  is  better  prepared  for  a  life  of 
honor  and  usefulness  than  one  who  passes  through 
a  high-school  course  without  that  love;  and  he 
who  has  an  ordinary  high-school  education  com- 
bined with  a  taste  for  good  reading  is  better 
equipped  for  the  duties  of  life  than  the  gradu- 
ate of  the  best  college  or  university  in  the  country, 
without  such  taste.  The  self-made  men  who  have 
figured  high  in  state  and  national  councils  have, 
with  few  exceptions,  been  men  of  extensive  and 
judicious  reading.  In  general,  those  who  exert 
the  greatest  influence  on  the  communities  in  which 
they  live  are  the  readers  of  good  literature.  ' '  From 
the  hour  of  the  invention  of  printing,"  says  the 
essayist  "Whipple,  ' '  books,  and  not  kings,  were  to 
rule  in  the  world.  Weapons  forged  in  the  mind, 
keen-edged,  and  brighter  than  a  sunbeam,  were  to 
supplant  the  sword  and  the  battle-ax.  Books !  light- 
houses built  on  the  sea  of  time !  Books !  by  whose 
sorcery  the  whole  pageantry  of  the  world's  history 
moves  in  solemn  procession  before  our  eyes.  From 
their  pages  great  souls  look  down  in  all  their  gran- 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  67 

deur,  undimmed  by  the  faults  and  follies  of  earthly 
existence,  consecrated  by  time. ' ' 

Knowing  from  experience,  as  I  do,  that  it  is  in 
the  power  of  the  schools  to  control  almost  entirely 
the  reading  of  the  pupils  and  to  implant  in  them 
correct  literary  tastes,  I  appeal  to  boards  of  edu- 
cation, to  superintendents  and  teachers,  to  take  im- 
mediate and  decisive  steps  to  make  this  literary 
training  in  all  the  grades  a  prominent  feature  of 
school  work;  as  the  only  effectual  way  to  keep 
the  youth  of  our  country  from  reading  the  worse 
than  worthless  dime  novel  is  to  interest  them  in  the 
writings  of  good  authors,  and,  once  interested  in  the 
good,  they  will  not  touch  the  bad.  They  will  feel 
themselves  above  such  reading.  They  will  take  a 
just  pride  in  the  fact  that  they  read  good  authors, 
and  will  disdain  to  read  the  low  and  degrading 
writings  of  the  day.  And  this  must  be  done,  if  at 
all,  by  the  schools. 

NEATNESS  AND  BEAUTY  OF  WRITTEN  EXERCISES 

During  my  superintendency  of  the  Cincinnati 
Public  schools,  I  have  endeavored  not  only  to  se- 
cure, as  far  as  possible,  cleanliness  on  the  part  of 
the  pupils,  but  also  neatness  and  beauty  of  execu- 
tion of  all  work  done  by  them  on  slates  or  paper, 
and  to  insure  the  best  results,  introduced,  on  enter- 
ing upon  my  duties  as  superintendent  in  1874, 


68  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

systematic  and  attractive  forms  ^  to  be  ruled  by 
the  pupils  for  all  their  written  work, — one  form 
for  problems,  another  for  spelling,  etc.  (See 
Forms.) 

On  my  visits  of  inspection  to  the  schools,  and 
I  endeavor  to  spend  the  greater  part  of  my  time 
in  them — four  days  and  a  half  of  each  week,  as  a 
rule — I  never  enter  a  room  of  pupils  in  any  one  of 
the  five  lower  grades  without,  in  some  way,  calling 
the  attention  of  the  children  to  the  importance  of 
personal  cleanliness,  and  without  noticing  the  con- 
dition in  which  they  keep  their  slates,  pencils, 
desks,  etc.,  and  also  the  transcription  of  their 
written  work  on  slates  and  paper;  and,  to  en- 
courage cleanliness  and  beauty  of  delineation  on 
the  part  of  the  children,  I  frequently  write  on 
slate  or  paper,  as  the  case  may  be,  the  words 
"Good,"  "Very  Good,"  or  " Excellent,"  to- 
gether with  my  initials. 

The  children  take  great  pride  in  showing  the 
neatness  and  beauty  of  execution  of  their  written 
lessons  upon  slates,  and  the  cleanness  of  the  slates. 
Many  of  them  take  pains  to  scrub  their  slate-frames 
at  home  daily — all  are  expected  to  do  this  twice  a 
week — and  to  keep  their  sponges,  driers,  pencils, 
and  rulers  always  on  hand  and  in  order. 

It  is  a  delight,  to  a  lover  of  children,  to  watch 
the  happy  faces  of  forty,  fifty,  or  more  little 
ones  as  they  are  called  upon  to  show  their  elate 


w 


A  SAMPLE   SPELLING  LESSON 
Ruling  and  Text  by  Pupil 


SCHOOL   SLATE-FIRST  HALF 
Inside  of  a  Doutle  Slate  as  Usually  Prepared  at  Horn;  for  "  Problems" 


SCHOOL   SLATE-SECOND  HALF 

Inside  of  a  Double  Slate  as  Usually  Prepared  at  Home  for  Spelling 


SAMPLE   WORK   IN   ARITHMETIC 


S^U^im*0 


sesv- 


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'O^a^c^f' 

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TEXT  AND  UNDERLINING 
By  Seven-year-old  Child  (1877) 


O •r^ 


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A  MODEL   SPELLING   EXERCISE 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  69 

work  to  the  superintendent  or  visitor;  for,  go 
when  and  where  one  will,  he  will  find  the  same 
general  care  and  attention  given  to  this  important 
feature  of  school  work. 

Hon.  John  D.  Philbrick,  superintendent  of  the 
public  schools  of  Boston,  Mass.,  in  his  semi-annual 
report  to  the  Board  of  Education  of  that  city, 
March,  1877,  in  speaking  of  the  Cincinnati  schools, 
says :  ' '  Every  child,  from  the  first  day  of  entering 
school,  is  taught  to  rule  his  slate  with  the  utmost 
accuracy,  and,  for  this  purpose,  is  furnished  with  a 
thin,  narrow  rule.  In  all  figuring,  and  in  all  writ- 
ten exercises,  whether  on  slate  or  paper,  the  pupils 
are  required  to  make  their  work  as  presentable  as 
possible ;  the  utmost  order  and  neatness  of  arrange- 
ment are  constantly  aimed  at." 

So  beautiful  is  the  slate  work  of  the  Cincinnati 
schools  that  one  writer  says  it  looks  like  engraving 
on  stone,  and  one  of  the  most  distinguished  edu- 
cators of  the  country,  Dr.  Bicknell,  after  examining 
the  work  of  the  children  in  several  of  the  district 
schools,  said,  referring  to  the  remarkable  uniformity 
in  the  beauty  of  the  execution,  that  it  showed  the 
most  astonishing  results  he  had  ever  seen  in  school 
work. 

The  editor  of  the  Common  School  and  Iowa 
Journal  of  Education,  in  an  article  on  the  educa- 
tional exhibit  at  the  Centennial  Exposition  at  Phil- 
adelphia, in  1876,  says :  ''  We  give  our  special  at- 


70  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

tention  to  Cincinnati,  feeling  quite  assured  that  its 
showing  is  the  most  perfect,  all  things  considered, 
of  any  city  represented.  Commencing  at  the  be- 
ginning, we  find  beautiful  specimens  of  slate  work, 
in  writing,  drawing,  spelling,  and  arithmetic,  from 
the  lowest  grades,  and  all  arranged  neatly  and 
carefully  in  forms,  which  in  themselves  are  good 
grounds  for  discipline  in  accurate  habits  of  thought 
and  work." 

The  American  Bookseller,  in  an  article  on  the 
Centennial  school  exhibit,  says :  "  Cincinnati  makes 
the  fullest  exhibit,  and  claims  the  first  attention  of 
the  visitors.  The  classification  here  of  the  work, 
and  the  painstaking  care  with  which  it  has  been 
prepared,  challenge  our  admiration." 

The  thousands  who  visited  the  educational  de- 
partment, at  the  Centennial,  expressed  their  aston- 
ishment and  admiration,  on  seeing  the  systematic 
and  beautiful  manner  in  which  the  Cincinnati 
school  children  performed  their  written  exercises. 

Teachers  from  all  parts  of  the  country  copied 
these  forms  for  the  purpose  of  introducing  them 
into  their  schools. 

It  may  be  objected  that,  in  ruling  forms,  time 
is  consumed  that  ought  to  be  devoted  to  study  or 
recitation.8  To  this  I  answer,  that  it  is  as  much 
the  duty  of  the  schools  to  cultivate  good  habits  in 
the  pupils  as  to  impart  to  them  intellectual  knowl- 
edge. Habits  of  neatness,  system,  and  order,  the 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  71 

very  foundation  of  business  habits,  acquired  at 
school,  will  go  with  the  children  through  life. 
The  moral  influence  of  this  work  can  hardly  be 
overestimated.  As  I  have  just  said,  the  children 
take  pride  in  neat  and  beautiful  work,  and  pride 
in  doing  a  good  thing  well  gives  them  self-respect 
and  makes  them  better  boys  and  girls.  Take  a 
careless,  uncleanly  boy,  and  you  can  do  very  little 
with  him  in  school  until  his  pride  is  awakened. 
But  once  awaken  his  pride,  and  he  is  yours.  He 
feels  that  he  is  of  some  importance.  Formerly  his 
brute  nature  had  control ;  now  the  spark  of  man- 
hood is  kindled,  and  you  may  hope  to  make  of 
him  a  faithful,  kind,  and  self-respecting  boy  who 
will  grow  up  to  be  a  worthy  man.  Neatness  is 
elevating  and  humanizing;  its  opposite  is  degrad- 
ing and  brutalizing.  Uncleanliness  and  cruelty 
are  generally  associated  together. 


SCHOOL-ROOM  DECORATIONS 

Again,  too  little  attention  is  paid  in  the  public 
schools  of  this  country  to  beautifying  school-rooms 
and  making  them  pleasant  and  attractive  to  the 
pupils.  There  are  thousands  of  school-rooms 
that  have  no  more  decorations  in  them  than  the 
old  barn  in  which,  when  a  boy,  I  fed  the  cattle, 
and  the  teachers  in  such  rooms  seem  to  care 
little  more  for  the  beauty  of  their  surroundings 


72  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

than  do  the  cattle  in  the  stalls.  "All  high  art," 
says  Emerson,  "is  moral;"  "and,"  adds  a  New 
York  artist,  "whatever  refines  any  part  of  man's 
nature,  refines  his  moral  perceptions. ' ' 

On  the  subject  of  school-room  decorations,  Dr. 
H.  H.  Fick,  former  superintendent  of  drawing,  in 
a  paper  read  before  the  Cincinnati  teachers  in  1881, 
so  well  expresses  my  own  views  that  I  quote  his 
words.  Dr.  Tick  said:  " Let  the  window-sills  be 
beautified  by  living  plants  and  blooming  flowers, 
contributing  alike  to  the  good  health  and  to  the  good 
morals  of  the  pupils,  and  let  the  ugly,  monotonous 
blackness  of  the  slated  board  be  enlivened  by  good 
crayon  sketches,  be  they  ever  so  simple,  and  by  or- 
namentations in  bright  but  harmoniously  arranged 
and  judiciously  grouped  colors.  Let  the  sayings  of 
the  masters  of  prose  and  poetry  be  emblazoned  as 
'  Memory  Gems, '  and  thus  kept  before  the  eyes 
and  minds  of  the  pupils.  Let  the  children  enter 
airy,  well-lighted  rooms,  the  walls  decorated  with 
tasty,  neatly-framed,  and  well-distributed  pictures 
and  busts,  such  as  are  provided  by  the  municipality 
for  the  primary  schools  of  Paris." 

PORTRAITS  FOR  _THE  SCHOOLS 

In  the  school-year  1881-82,  upwards  of  seven 
hundred  dollars  were  expended  for  portraits  and 
historical  pictures.  Most  of  these  were  placed  in 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  73 

the  Woodward  and  Hughes  High  Schools,  in  the 
four  Intermediates,  the  Twentieth  District  School, 
and  in  the  Walnut  Hills  Colored  School.  The 
funds  for  Woodward  and  Hughes,  and  the  First, 
Second,  Third,  and  Fourth  Intermediate  Schools, 
were  obtained  from  the  proceeds  of  a  series  of  en- 
tertainments, entitled  the  "Allegory  of  the  Great 
Republic,"  given  by  the  pupils  of  these  schools  in 
Music  Hall ;  the  funds  for  the  Twentieth  District 
were  procured  by  subscription ;  and  those  for  the 
Walnut  Hills  Colored  School  from  the  proceeds  of 
an  exhibition  by  the  pupils  of  that  school. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  names  of  those 
whose  portraits  were  placed  in  the  schools : 

Lithographs. — Full  length,  of  Lincoln,  Web- 
ster, Clay,  Washington,  and  Washington  Parting 
from  His  Mother. 

Lithographs.  —  Busts,  life  -  size,  of  Bryant, 
Longfellow,  Whittier,  Holmes,  Emerson,  Lowell, 
and  Garfield. 

Lithographs. — Half  life-size,  of  Agassiz,  Pea- 
body,  Horace  Mann,  Mrs.  Willard,  Everett,  Land- 
seer  and  His  Dogs. 

Lithographs. — Cabinet-size,  of  Irving,  Pres- 
cott,  Motley,  Hawthorne,  Bancroft,  Alice  and 
Phoebe  Gary,  and  others. 

Life  or  half  life-sizes  of  the  latter  group  could 
not  be  obtained. 

Photogravures. — Busts,  life-size,  of  Webster, 


74  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

Tennyson,  Longfellow,  Holland,  Goethe,  Schiller, 
Wagner,  Handel,  Haydn,  Mozart,  Beethoven. 
Half  life-size,  of  Humboldt  and  Bryant. 

Chromos. — From  Chandos's  portrait;  life-size 
busts  of  Shakespeare. 

Crayons. — Life-size  busts  of  "Webster,  by  Miss 
Christina  I.  Sullivan,  teacher  of  Drawing. 

PORTRAITS  OF  WEBSTER 

It  will  be  of  interest  years  hence  to  know  the 
history  of  the  photographs  of  Daniel  Webster, 
which  were  placed  in  the  schools  at  the  time  of  the 
celebration  of  the  hundredth  anniversary  of  hie 
birth  by  the  schools,  January  18,  1882.  Not  be- 
ing able  to  procure  portraits — life-size  busts — of 
"Webster,  it  was  decided  to  obtain,  if  possible,  the 
best  original  likeness,  and  have  photographs  taken 
from  it.  Mr.  James  Landy,  photographer,  of  this 
city,  was  consulted,  and  he  agreed  to  make  the 
photographs  at  cost,  and  to  assist  in  finding  the  best 
original.  Many  different  portraits  of  Webster,  in 
and  about  Cincinnati,  were  examined,  and  the  best 
likeness  was  traced  through  an  old  lithograph  to  a 
daguerreotype  by  Whipple  &  Black,  of  Boston. 
The  Boston  Directory  was  consulted,  and  it  was 
found  that  the  firm  was  not  in  existence ;  but  by 
letters  to  different  photographers  of  Boston,  it  was 
ascertained  that  J.  W.  Black,  one  of  the  members 


From  a  Crayon  Portrait  by  Christine  G.  Sullivan. 

DANIEL  WEBSTER 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  75 

of  the  old  firm,  was  living.  He  was  accordingly 
written  to,  and  proved  to  be  the  very  man  who, 
in  1848,  made  the  daguerreotype  of  Webster  re- 
ferred to  above.  The  likeness  was  pronounced  by 
Mr.  Webster  himself  one  of  the  best  he  ever  had 
taken.  For  many  years  it  has  been  the  property 
of  Mr.  Dexter,  of  Boston,  to  whom  it  was  pre- 
sented by  Mr.  Black,  who  in  turn  borrowed  it  for 
Mr.  Landy  to  copy ;  but  not,  however,  till  after 
he  had  the  written  promise  of  Mr.  Landy  that, 
upon  its  receipt  by  express,  he  would  not  permit 
it  to  pass  out  of  his  hands ;  and,  moreover,  that  he 
would  take  the  photograph  of  it  without  delay,  and 
immediately  thereafter  return  the  daguerreotype 
to  him  by  express.  Mr.  Landy  made  a  negative 
directly  from  the  daguerreotype,  which  he  enlarged 
by  solar  camera  and  finished  in  crayon,  using  the 
daguerreotype  as  a  guide.  From  the  portrait  thus 
obtained,  he  made  the  photographs  for  the  schools. 
Having  compared  them  with  the  daguerreotype,  I 
pronounce  them  excellent.  Mr.  Landy  also  printed 
photographs,  cabinet  size,  from  the  first  negative ; 
and  from  one  of  these  small  photographs  Miss 
Sullivan  produced  the  crayon  portraits,  which  are 
most  excellent  likenesses  of  the  great  statesman, 
so  pronounced  by  Hon.  William  S.  Groesbeck, 
who  knew  Webster  personally.  On  seeing  the 
one  in  my  possession,  General  A.  F.  Devereux 
declared  it  to  be  the  best  portrait  of  Webster  west 


76  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

of  the  Alleglianies.  The  General,  a  family  rela- 
tive of  Daniel  Webster,  enjoyed  his  life-long  in- 
timate acquaintance  and  friendship. 


BANDS  OF   MERCY 

The  Cincinnati  schools,  I  take  pride  in  saying, 
were  the  first  great  system  of  schools  in  America  in 
which  Bands  of  Mercy  were  introduced.  In  the 
winter  of  1883-84  the  directors,  of  whom  I  had  the 
honor  of  being  one,  of  the  Ohio  State  Society  for 
the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals  and  Chil- 
dren (now  known  as  the  Ohio  Humane  Society) 
invited  Rev.  Thomas  Timmins,  of  London,  Eng- 
land— who,  with  George  T.  Angell,  of  Boston,  is 
the  founder  of  Bands  of  Mercy  in  this  country 
— to  come  to  Cincinnati  and  organize  bands. 
Believing  that  the  good  citizen  is  the  prime  object 
of  public  education,  as  before  stated,  I  felt  that,  as 
Bands  of  Mercy  contribute  to  this  end,  they  should 
find  a  place  in  public  schools ;  besides,  they  were 
in  the  line  of  humane  education  which  I  had, 
through  the  means  already  explained  to  you,  been 
endeavoring  to  accomplish.  I  therefore  accom- 
panied Mr.  Timmins  in  the  schools,  and  heartily 
seconded  his  earnest  efforts  to  make  our  boys  and 
girls  more  thoughtful  and  considerate  of  each  oth- 
er's happiness  and  that  of  the  dumb  animals  around 
them,  by  addressing  them  on  kindness,  justice,  and 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  77 

mercy  to  all  forms  of  animal  life,  and  organizing 
them  into  Bands  of  Mercy.  We  devoted  over 
five  weeks  to  the  work,  addressed  over  28,000 
pupils,  and  organized  them  into  bands. 

It  may  be  asked,  Why  form  the  children  into 
bands  in  schools  where  lessons  are  systematically 
given  on  humane  subjects?  Because  the  very  fact 
of  belonging  to  a  band  will,  of  itself,  cause  the 
children  to  take  more  interest  in  the  objects  for 
which  the  bands  are  formed  than  they  otherwise 
would.  It  is  delightful  to  see  the  good  effects  that 
follow  these  organizations,  to  listen  to  the  little 
ones  as  they  relate  the  many  kindly,  humane,  and 
charitable  acts  done  by  them,  many  of  which,  we 
are  confident,  would  have  been  left  undone  but  for 
these  associations.  The  organization  is  very  sim- 
ple. All  that  is  required  to  become  a  member  is  to 
make  the  f  olio  wing  pledge :  "I  will  try  to  be  kind 
and  merciful  to  all  living  creatures,  and  will  try  to 
pursuade  others  to  be  the  same, ' '  and  then  sign  the 
roll  of  membership.  Certainly  no  one  can  reason- 
ably object  to  such  a  pledge ;  for  it  is  just  what  we 
all  should  do,  whether  we  take  the  pledge  or  not. 
Should  school-time  be  taken  for  the  meetings  of 
bands;  if  so,  how  much?  I  recommend,  as  I  did 
the  Board  of  Education  of  Washington,  D.  C., 
and  as  I  have  done  in  my  Annual  Report  (1884), 
that  all  Boards  of  Education  set  apart  one  hour  of 
school-time  each  month,  say  the  last  hour  of  the 


78  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

last  Friday,  to  teaching  kindness  and  mercy ;  and  this 
should  be  done  whether  Bands  of  Mercy  are  intro- 
duced or  not ;  for  in  the  presence  of  so  much  crime, 
murder,  and  lawlessness,  with  thoughtless  cruelty 
committed  on  all  sides,  it  becomes  the  duty  of  the 
public  schools  to  give  special  attention  to  inculcat- 
ing lessons  of  mercy,  kindness,  and  justice  to  all 
creatures,  both  human  and  brute,  and  to  this  end 
a  definite  time  should  be  given.  In  schools  where 
bands  of  mercy  are  organized,  let  the  monthly 
meetings  be  held  in  the  several  school-rooms,  the 
teachers  presiding,  during  the  hour  thus  set  apart. 

CONCLUSION 

Ladies  and  gentleman,  the  introduction  into 
the  schools  of  our  country  of  the  features  I  have 
briefly  outlined,  apart  from  their  inestimable  value 
in  the  formation  of  noble  character,  would  result 
in  greater  progress  of  the  pupils  in  the  "regular 
branches"  of  study;  for  their  tendency  is  to  give 
the  pupils  a  love  of  school  by  making  school  life 
pleasant  and  attractive,  thereby  insuring  more 
regular  and  prompt,  and  therefore  larger,  attend- 
ance and  more  hearty  and  zealous  work  on  the 
part  of  the  scholars. 

In  this  I  speak  from  experience.  I  have  not 
the  statistics  on  the  subject — unfortunately,  none 
have  been  kept — but  I  feel  justified  in  asserting 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  79 

that  there  is  now  (1884)  not  one  case  of  truancy  in 
the  lower  grades  of  the  schools  where  formerly 
there  were  twenty,  and  that  this  is  largely  if 
not  wholly  due  to  the  introduction  of  the  impor- 
tant features  I  have  been  advocating.  They  re- 
lieve the  monotony  of  school  routine,  and  put  new 
life  into  the  whole  system.  Besides,  they  do 
much  to  make  the  schools  strong  with  the  people, 
an  object  every  friend  of  public  education  should 
endeavor  to  accomplish. 

And  now,  in  conclusion,  may  I  trust  that  I  have 
succeeded  in  impressing  upon  you  the  important 
fact  that,  in  the  building  up  of  noble  and  upright 
character,  so  much  can  be  accomplished  through 
the  influence  of  neatness  and  beauty  of  execution 
of  all  work  done  by  pupils  on  slate  or  paper; 
through  grand  and  ennobling  thoughts  from  litera- 
ture, correctly  taught ;  through  the  celebration  of 
the  lives  and  writings  of  worthy  authors,  statesmen, 
and  other  great  personages  whose  lives  have  re- 
flected honor  upon  their  country ;  through  bands 
of  mercy  and  what  they  teach ;  and  through  school- 
rooms tastily  decorated  with  portraits  of  the  good 
and  the  great  and  other  appropriate  pictures,  and 
with  plants, — that  you  will  become  active  advocates 
of  the  introduction  of  these  features  into  all  the 
schools  of  our  country? 


80  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 


MORAL  INSTRUCTION  THROUGH  LITERATURE 

For  the  information  of  those  who  may  be  in- 
terested, the  origin  of  imparting  moral  instruction 
through  gems  of  literature  in  the  Cincinnati  public 
schools  is  given  here. 

In  1869,  nearly  five  years  before  I  became  su- 
perintendent, the  Board  of  Education  prohibited 
the  use  of  the  Bible  in  the  schools.  The  rule  of 
the  Board  providing  that ' '  moral  instruction  must 
be  given  in  all  the  grades  by  the  respective  teach- 
ers, in  such  manner  as  may  be  prescribed  by  the 
principals, ' '  was  still  in  force ;  but  the  manner  of 
carrying  out  the  rule  began  to  be  agitated  among 
the  principals.  Meeting  after  meeting  was  held, 
in  which  the  subject  of  moral  training  was  dis- 
cussed. Some  contended  that  no  special  time 
should  be  given  to  this  work,  that  morals  should 
be  taught  incidentally ;  while  others  advocated  that 
a  definite  time  should  be  assigned  to  it  in  the  daily 
programs  of  the  schools.  The  "  Incidentalists, " 
as  they  called  themselves,  gave  the  fifteen-minutes' 
4 '  morning-exercise  time' '  to  singing  and  to  miscel- 
laneous exercises.  The  "Regulars,"  of  whom  I 
was  one,  finally  decided  to  have  the  teachers  of 
their  respective  schools  devote  this  time  to  giving, 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  81 

after  the  singing  of  a  song  or  two  by  the  pupils, 
talks  on  such  subjects  as  kindness,  truthfulness, 
obedience,  etc.,  and  for  this  purpose  prepared  a 
list  of  topics  for  each  week's  work.  I  was  prin- 
cipal of  the  Second  Intermediate  School  at  the 
time,  and,  as  had  been  my  custom,  conducted  the 
morning  exercises  three  days  of  the  week  in  the 
assembly  room,  where  all  the  pupils  on  the  upper 
floor,  between  two  hundred  and  fifty  and  three 
hundred  boys  and  girls,  assembled  for  this  purpose. 

Previous  to  the  exclusion  of  the  Bible,  the  ex- 
ercises had  consisted  of  reading  a  chapter  of  the 
Sacred  Scriptures  by  the  principal,  and  the  singing 
of  devotional  and  patriotic  songs  by  the  pupils; 
but  after  the  list  of  topics  had  been  prepared,  I 
began  a  series  of  talks  on  the  subjects  selected. 
These  talks  did  very  well  for  a  time ;  but  they  soon 
became  very  burdensome  to  me,  and,  I  think,  mo- 
notonous, if  not  actually  distasteful,  to  the  pupils. 
This  was  the  universal  experience  of  the  teachers 
who  attempted  in  this  way  to  give  the  instruction. 
In  fact,  there  are  very  few  indeed,  even  among 
the  highly  educated,  who  can  interest  children  a 
hundred  times  a  year  by  talks  on  abstract  subjects. 

One  morning,  in  the  spring  of  18T4,  as  I  was 
on  my  way  to  school,  trying  to  think  of  something 
to  say  that  might  interest  the  pupils,  there  came 
into  my  mind  the  following  extract  from  Dr. 
Holmes's  poem  entitled  * '  Sun  and  Shadow, ' '  that 
6 


82  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

I  had  committed  to  memory  when  a  student  at  Gil- 
manton  Academy,  in  New  Hampshire,  in  1857,  at 
the  time  the  poem  first  appeared  in  the  Atlantic 
Monthly,  in  one  of  the  Doctor's  remarkable  articles 
entitled  "The  Autocrat  of  the  Breakfast-table :" 

"  The  dreamers  who  gaze,  while  we  battle  the  waves, 

May  see  us  in  sunshine  or  shade ; 
Yet  true  to  our  course,  though  our  shadow  grow  dark, 

We  '11  trim  our  broad  sail  as  before, 
And  stand  by  the  rudder  that  governs  the  bark, 

Nor  ask  how  we  look  from  the  shore  1" 

I  at  once  decided  to  make  the  extract,  and  the 
sentiment  contained  therein,  the  subject  of  talks 
to  the  school,  and  then  have  the  pupils  memorize 
the  extract,  as  I  had  done  when  a  boy. 

At  that  moment  a  burden  was  lifted  from  my 
mind.  I  felt  that  at  last  I  had  found  a  complete 
solution  of  the  question  that  had  so  long  perplexed 
principals  and  teachers ;  namely,  the  best  method — 
the  use  of  the  Bible  being  forbidden — of  imparting 
moral  instruction  in  the  schools. 

"With  light  heart  I  quickened  my  steps  to  the 
schoolhouse,  wrote  the  extract  on  the  blackboard, 
and  waited  eagerly  for  the  bell  for  morning  exer- 
cises to  ring.  After  the  assembling  of  the  pupils, 
and  the  singing  of  a  song  by  them,  I  called  their 
attention  to  the  beautiful  lines  of  Dr.  Holmes 
which  I  had  written  upon  the  blackboard  for  them 
to  memorize,  and  told  them  the  story  of  how  it 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  83 

happened  that  I  committed  them  to  memory  in 
youth.  Having  thus  interested  the  pupils  in  the 
quotation,  I  recited  it  in  the  best  manner  possible 
to  me,  in  order  to  impress  the  beauty  of  the  extract 
upon  their  young  minds,  and  then  explained  very 
fully,  not  only  the  selection,  but  also  the  entire 
poem,  and  Dr.  Holmes's  introduction  to  it,  both 
of  which  are  necessary  to  a  clear  understanding  of 
the  passage,  and  endeavored,  to  the  best  of  my 
ability,  to  bring  out  the  admirable  lesson  intended 
to  be  conveyed ;  viz. ,  that  when  we  are  in  the  path 
of  duty,  when  we  know  that  we  are  right,  we  should 
go  ahead  without  reference  to  how  we  may  appear 
to  others,  never  sacrificing  principle  to  policy,  never 
swerving  from  the  line  of  duty.  Yes, 

"  True  to  our  course,  though  our  shadow  grow  dark, 

We  '11  trim  our  broad  sail  as  before, 
And  stand  by  the  rudder  that  governs  the  bark, 
Nor  ask  how  we  look  from  the  shore !" 

This  departure  from  the  previous  method  of 
giving  moral  instruction,  proved  even  more  suc- 
cessful than  I  had  anticipated.  The  lesson,  the 
character  of  which  is  suggested  above,  aroused 
unusual  interest  in  both  teachers  and  pupils.  The 
morning  exercise  time  of  two  days  was  devoted  to 
the  explanation  of,  and  to  talks  on,  the  selection. 
After  this,  one  morning  was  devoted  to  giving  a 
biographical  sketch  of  the  author ;  another  to  read- 
ings from,  and  talks  on,  "The  Autocrat  of  the 


84  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

Breakfast- table;"  and  tlins  the  morning-exercise 
time  became  the  most  interesting  and  profitable 
fifteen  minutes  of  the  day. 

On  the  remaining  days  of  the  week  the  same 
kind  of  work  was  begun  by  me  in  the  rooms  on 
the  two  lower  floors,  where  the  teachers  themselves 
usually  conducted  all  the  morning  exercises ;  but 
before  the  method  had  been  exemplified  in  all  the 
rooms,  the  final  examinations  came  on,  when  the 
work  was  discontinued,  to  be  taken  up  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  schools  in  September.  But  before  the 
end  of  the  school  year  the  Board  of  Education 
elected  me  superintendent  of  schools,  which  pre- 
vented this  being  done. 

At  the  time  of  my  election  to  the  superintend- 
ency,  in  1874,  the  rule  of  the  Board  of  Education, 
previously  quoted  in  this  article,  was  still  in  force. 
This  rule  placed  the  entire  subject  of  moral  in- 
struction under  the  control  of  the  principals  of  the 
schools.  They  were  to  prescribe,  not  only  the 
manner  in  which  their  respective  teachers  were  to 
impart  the  instruction,  but  also  what  and  how  much 
time  they  should  devote  to  it.  No  special  time  was 
ever  set  apart,  either  in  the  time-tables  adopted  by 
the  Board  or  by  the  principals,  to  imparting  moral 
instruction  till  after  the  exclusion  of  the  Bible, 
when  it  was  done  by  the  ' '  Regulars. ' '  When  the 
Bible  was  in  use  in  the  schools,  the  principals  con- 
tented themselves  with  the  fact  that  the  reading 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  85 

— since  no  comments  by  the  teachers  were  al- 
lowed— of  a  chapter  from  the  Holy  Scriptures 
formed  a  part  of  the  daily  morning  exercises. 
Morning  exercises,  as  usually  conducted  in  the 
schools  of  the  country,  are  moral  in  their  influ- 
ence, but  do  not  constitute  what  is  here  meant  by 
moral  instruction. 

Now,  among  the  reforms  that  I  desired  to  bring 
about  were  three  that  are  of  vital  importance  to  the 
best  interests  of  the  schools,  each  of  which  would 
require  a  great  deal  of  time,  work,  and  attention,  on 
the  part  of  the  superintendent,  before  they  could  be 
thoroughly  established — that  is,  before  the  teachers 
make  them  their  own ;  for  teachers,  as  a  rule,  are 
conservative,  and  therefore  prone  to  look  with  dis- 
approval upon  changes  of  methods  of  instruction  or 
other  innovations  in  the  line  of  their  school  work, 
however  important  such  changes  and  innovations 
may  be,  especially  when  they  are  undertaken  by  a 
superintendent  at  the  beginning  of  his  administra- 
tion, before  he  has  the  confidence  of  the  teachers  as 
a  body.  Of  course,  I  could  have  called  to  my  aid 
the  Board  of  Education,  and  attempted  to  force  the 
immediate  introduction  of  these  reforms;  but  I 
would  have  met  with  opposition  on  the  part  of  many 
of  the  principals  and  teachers,  which  might  have 
seriously  interfered  with  the  work  of  the  schools. 
I  certainly  could  not  have  secured  in  that  way  the 
practically  unanimous  indorsement  by  the  teachers 


86  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

of  each  one  of  these  reforms  that  I  finally  received. 
After  carefully  considering  what  should  be  done 
under  all  the  circumstances,  I  reached  the  con- 
clusion that  it  would  be  better  not  to  attempt  any 
change,  either  as  to  time  or  manner  of  imparting 
moral  instruction,  till  after  the  other  two  reforms,10 
both  of  which  are  explained  in  this  volume,  should 
have  been  so  thoroughly  established  as  to  require 
very  little  attention  on  the  part  of  the  superintend- 
ent. In  the  fall  of  1877,  I  felt  that  the  time  had 
come  to  insist  that  moral  instruction  be  given  reg- 
ularly in  all  the  schools,  in  accordance  with  the 
spirit  of  the  rule  to  which  reference  has  been  made. 
The  principals  were  therefore  instructed  to  see  that 
this  be  done,  by  having  the  teachers,  in  all  the 
grades  of  their  respective  schools,  devote  one  hour 
of  the  morning-exercise  time  each  week  to  this 
work.  At  the  same  time  I  recommended  to  them 
to  make  use  of  "gem-thoughts"  from  literature 
as  the  basis  of  the  instruction,  but  left  them  free 
to  do  this  or  not  as  they  chose.  This  freedom  of 
choice  was  allowed  the  teachers  because  I  was  con- 
fident that  many  of  them,  believing  in  the  elevat- 
ing influence  of  beautiful  thoughts  in  prose  and 
poetry,  would  see  the  importance  of  making  them 
the  foundation  of  moral  training  in  the  schools, 
and  follow  the  recommendation  of  their  own  ac- 
cord ;  and  as  to  the  others,  I  felt  that  it  would  be 
far  better  to  win  them  over  to  the  plan  by  prac- 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  87 

tically  demonstrating  to  them  its  superiority,  than 
to  try  to  compel  them  to  adopt  it. 

As  was  expected,  the  principals  and  teachers 
of  a  number  of  the  schools,  and  individual  teachers, 
here  and  there,  made  selections  of  "gems,"  and 
began,  without  delay,  to  give  lessons  upon  them  to 
their  pupils.  These  teachers  soon  became  warm 
advocates  of  the  method,  and,  in  this  way,  others 
were  led  to  adopt  it.  Besides,  I  memorized  a  num- 
ber of  brief  extracts,  three  or  four  for  each  grade, 
each  of  which  contained  an  important  lesson,  and, 
in  school  after  school,  wrote  one  of  them  on  the 
blackboard,  and  made  it  the  subject  of  a  talk  to  the 
pupils.  At  the  close  of  each  talk  I  asked  the  chil- 
dren to  memorize  thoroughly  the  beautiful  selection 
on  the  board,  and  promised  them  that  the  next 
time  I  visited  the  school  I  would  hear  them  recite 
it  in  concert,  and  then  explain  it  to  me.  This  I 
never  neglected  to  do.  Thus  the  work  went  on, 
winning  its  way  among  the  teachers  until  most  of 
them  had  taken  it  up,  without  the  exercise  of  com- 
pulsion by  the  superintendent  of  schools ;  for  all 
that  I  had  insisted  upon  up  to  this  time  was  that  the 
principals  and  teachers  should  live  up  to  the  spirit 
of  the  rule  of  the  Board.  In  the  fall  of  1879  it  was 
my  judgment  that  the  time  had  come  when  the 
Board  of  Education  should  be  asked  to  take  action 
looking  to  regular  and  systematic  moral  instruction, 
through  gems  of  literature,  and  to  prescribe  the  work 


88  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

to  be  done.  Accordingly,  with  the  assistance  of  a 
committee  of  principals,  a  course  of  study  contain- 
ing selections  for  each  grade  was  prepared  and  sub- 
mitted to  the  Board  of  Education  for  adoption. 
This  course  of  study  was  adopted  by  the  Board, 
published  in  pamphlet  form,  and  a  copy  placed  in 
the  hands  of  each  teacher  of  the  District  and  Inter- 
mediate Schools.  In  order  to  give  the  teachers  a 
wide  range  from  which  to  select,  the  pamphlet  con- 
tamed  much  more  material  than  was  required  to  be 
taught.  In  1880,  I  prepared  a  volume  of  192 
pages  of  selections,  entitled,  "Graded  Selections 
for  Memorizing,  Adapted  for  Use  at  Home  and 
in  School,"  which  took  the  place  of  the  pamphlet. 

LIST  OF  SELECTIONS  TAUGHT  BY  A  B  GRADE 
TEACHER 

After  the  Board  of  Education  had  officially  in- 
dorsed this  method  of  imparting  moral  instruction 
by  requiring  " prose  and  poetical  selections"  to 
be  inculcated  in  all  the  schools  under  the  direction 
of  the  superintendent,  I  requested  each  teacher 
to  report  to  me  at  the  close  of  the  schools  in  June 
the  selections  taught  during  the  year,  by  giving 
the  first  line  of  each,  the  author's  name,  and  the 
number  of  lines.  To  show  the  reader  the  char- 
acter of  the  selections  in  the  intermediate  schools, 
a  list  of  those  reported  by  a  teacher  of  a  room 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  89 

of  B  Grade  (seventh  year)  pupils,  is  submitted, 
and  while  no  two  lists  were  the  same,  the  one 
given  here  is  a  fair  sample  of  those  reported  by  the 
teachers  of  this  grade. 

I  trust  I  have  made  clear  to  the  mind  of  the 
reader  that  the  development  of  the  thoughts  con- 
tained in  or  suggested  by  the  selections,  by  the 
teachers  giving  lessons  upon  them,  constitutes  prin- 
cipally what  is  meant  in  this  article  by  giving  moral 
instruction. 

Of  course,  the  teachers  were  required  to  see  that 
the  extracts  were  committed  to  memory  by  the 
pupils,  but  they  were  expected  to  take  another 
time  for  this  purpose.  I  recommended  them  to 
devote  fifteen  minutes  per  week  to  see  that  the 
eight  lines — the  number  required — were  thoroughly 
memorized  by  the  pupils.  According  to  the  report 
of  this  teacher,  the  following  selections  and  their 
authors  were  made  the  subjects  of  one  hundred  and 
eighty-five  lessons.  This  fact  should  be  borne  in 
mind  by  the  reader  who  desires  to  get  a  clear  and 
comprehensive  idea  of  the  character,  the  extent,  and 
the  importance  of  such  moral  and  literary  training. 
The  attention  of  the  reader  is  called  to  the 
authors  whose  names  became  as  familiar  to  the 
children  as  those  of  their  own  classmates.  The 
reason  the  name  of  Dr.  Holmes  occurs  so  fre- 
quently is,  that  the  schools  celebrated  "Holmes- 
day,"  that  year,  1884. 


90  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

"Fast  as  the  rolling  seasons  bring." 

Oliver  Wendell  Holmes, 8  lines. 

"Yet,  in  the  maddening  maze  of  things." 

John  Greenleaf  Whittier,     ....    8  lines. 
"  Good  name,  in  man  or  woman." 

Shakespeare 7  lines. 

"All  thoughts  of  ill ;  all  evil  deeds." 

Henry  Wadsworth  Longfellow,  .   .  24  lines. 
"  Heaven  is  not  reached  at  a  single  bound." 

Josiah  Gilbert  Holland, 8  lines. 

"There  is  a  land,  of  every  land  the  pride." 

James  Montgomery, 6  lines. 

Character,  into  which  right  principles  are  implanted, 
at  its  first  forming,  is  impressed  indelibly, 
"Like  the  vase  in  which  roses  have  once 
been  distilled." 

Thomas  Moore, 5  lines. 

"I  see  the  living  tide  roll  on." 

Oliver  Wendell  Holmes, 8  lines. 

"  I  do  not  know  what  I  may  appear  to  the  world." 

Sir  Isaac  Newton, 5  lines. 

"  Up  with  our  banner  bright." 

Oliver  Wendell  Holmes, 8  lines. 

"  Press  on !  surmount  the  rocky  steeps.*' 

Park  Benjamin, 8  lines. 

"You  hear  that  boy  laughing." 

Oliver  Wendell  Holmes, 12  lines. 

"Listen  closer.    When  you  have  done." 

Alice  Gary, 8  lines. 

"The  good  ship  Union's  voyage  is  o'er." 

Oliver  Wendell  Holmes, 12  lines. 

"Between  broad  fields  of  wheat  and  corn." 

Thomas  Buchanan  Read,    ....  14  lines. 
"Thanks  to  the  heavenly  message  brought  by  thee." 

Oliver  Wendell  Holmes, 14  lines. 

"  O,  list  to  the  moments !  though  little,  they  seem." 

/.  L.  Eggleston, 8  lines. 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  91 

"As  jewels  incased  in  a  casket  of  gold." 

John  Dryden, 4  lines. 

"Reading  maketh  a  full  man." 

Francis  Bacon, 2  lines. 

"Forgive  and  forget!  why  the  world  would  be  lonely." 

Charles  Swain, 4  lines. 

"We  should  make  the  same  use  of  books." 

Jonathan  Swift, 2  lines. 

"  0,  humbly  take  what  God  bestows." 

Caroline  Oilman, 4  lines. 

"  For  I  would  yield  the  passing  hour." 

W.  H.  Venable 12  lines. 

"A  word  fitly  spoken." 

Proverbs, 1  line. 

"  Ponder  well,  and  know  the  right." 

Goethe, 4  lines. 

"A  good  book  is  the  precious  life-blood." 

John  Milton, 2  lines. 

"Best  is  not  quitting  this  busy  career." 

D.  S.  Dwight, 12  lines. 

"  True  worth  is  in  being,  not  seeming." 

Alice  Gary, 20  lines. 

"Like  a  cradle,  rocking,  rocking." 

Helen  Hunt  Jackson, 16  lines. 

"  Work  while  yet  the  daylight  shines." 

Anonymous, 8  lines. 

"  Of  all  the  beautiful  pictures." 

Alice  Gary,  .   .   .   .» 16  lines. 

"  'T  was  a  lovely  thought  to  mark  the  hours." 

Mrs.  Felicia  D.  Hemans,     ....  16  lines. 
"Recollect  that  trifles  make  perfection,  and  that  per- 
fection is  no  trifle." 

Michael  Angela, 2  lines. 

"Get  but  the  truth  once  uttered." 

James  Russell  Lowell 4  lines. 

"  We  live  in  deeds,  not  years." 

Philip  James  Eailey, 4  lines. 


92  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

"Try  to  frequent  the  company  of  your  betters." 

William  Makepeace  Thackeray,  .   .    6  lines. 
11  To  persevere  in  one's  duty  and  be  silent  is  the  best 
answer  to  calumny." 

Washington 1J  lines. 

(See  67th  Annual  Report  Cincinnati  Public  Schools. ) 

OPINIONS  OF  PRINCIPALS  AND  TEACHERS 

The  attention  of  all  interested  in  the  moral  ele- 
vation of  our  school  children  is  earnestly  asked  to 
the  following  extracts  from  the  reports  of  princi- 
pals and  teachers.  Principal  Benjamin  M.  Weed 
says :  "In  our  school  twenty  minutes  are  spent  in 
'  Morning  Exercises, '  and  the  gems  for  the  various 
grades  are  made  the  basis  of  moral  instruction. 
With  an  enthusiastic  and  appreciative  teacher,  I  can 
not  see  how  she  can  help  exerting  the  very  best  in- 
fluence over  her  class  with  such  a  wide  range  of 
beautiful  thoughts  as  she  has  to  choose  from  in  the 
course  in  gems. ' '  Here  he  explains  how  the  morn- 
ing exercises  of  each  day  are  conducted,  showing 
that  lessons  on  gems  are  given  on  the  first  four  days 
of  each  week.  Again  I  quote  his  own  words :  "We 
have,  as  you  see  from  this,  a  systematic  course  of 
morning  exercises,  and  on  Friday  all  the  pupils  of 
this  school,  from  six  to  fifteen  years  of  age,  and 
from  the  lowest  to  the  highest  grade  in  our  district 
and  intermediate  departments,  are  engaged  in  re- 
citing appropriate  selections  from  our  best  authors. 
To  go  from  room  to  room  and  witness  these  recita- 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  93 

tions,  interspersed  as  they  are  with  beautiful  songs, 
is  more  than  a  pleasant  scene,  it  is  an  inspiring 
one ;  and  if  the  teacher  is  alive  to  the  importance 
of  the  exercise,  its  influence  must  be  far-reaching, 
beneficent,  and  exalting.  I  do  not  think  it  could 
be  possible  to  find  a  substitute  to  take  the  place  of 
these  gems  as  a  basis  of  moral  instruction  in  our  pub- 
lic schools.  The  language  in  them  is  simple  and 
beautiful,  just  such  as  would  naturally  attract  the  at- 
tention of  a  child ;  they  are  not  sectarian  in  thought, 
not  narrow  in  their  teaching,  but  wide  and  gener- 
ous and  sympathetic,  helping  not  only  pupils,  but 
teachers,  '  to  live  up  to  the  best  that  is  in  them. ' 
Said  a  teacher  to  me  not  long  ago :  '  I  do  enjoy  the 
hour  I  spend  with  my  pupils  in  this  subject ;  for 
then  it  is  I  get  nearest  to  them,  and  then  it  is  I 
feel  I  am  not  a  mere  machine,  grinding  out  per 
cents,  but  that  I  am  an  important  factor  in  helping 
them  to  choose  that  which  is  noble  and  beautiful 
and  good  in  life. '  If  every  teacher  in  our  schools 
felt  this  way  what  a  power  for  good  our  great  sys- 
tem of  public  schools  in  this  city  would  have!" 

Principal  G.  A.  Carnahan,  of  the  First  Inter- 
mediate School,  after  explaining  how  the  *  *  Memory 
Gems ' '  are  taught  in  his  school,  says :  "  I  am  fully 
satisfied  that  this  exercise  is  one  of  the  most  valuable 
methods  that  can  be  used  for  imparting  moral  in- 
struction, and  for  developing  a  taste  for  good  read- 
ing and  love  for  good  literature. ' ' 


94  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

Mrs.  R.  M.  Hollingshead,  daughter  of  James  E. 
Murdoch,  teacher  of  elocution  in  the  normal  school, 
says :  "I  never  saw  such  excellent  moral  instruc- 

*/ 

tion  in  public  schools  as  is  now  given  through  the 
teaching  of  '  Memory  Gems ; '  moreover,  their 
teaching  cultivates  a  taste  for  good  literature  among 
the  pupils. ' ' 

An  experienced  teacher  of  A  Grade  (eighth 
year)  boys,  says :  * '  It  is  unnecessary  to  state  that 
this  gem  work  has  had  a  beneficial  influence  on  the 
pupils.  I  remember,  before  it  was  introduced  into 
our  schools,  it  was  an  almost  weekly  occurrence  to 
find  a  boy  reading  a  dime  novel  in  his  geography 
open  before  him,  while  now  this  seldom  happens. 
In  fact  I  have  not  had  one  such  case  in  two  years. 
Ask  a  boy  what  he  has  read,  and  he  will  name 
the  works  of  standard  authors,  thus  showing  that 
good  books  have  supplanted  pernicious  literature. 
JSTo  doubt  this  *  wave  of  influence '  which  you  have 
'  set  in  motion  will  extend  and  widen  to  the  eter- 
nal shore. '  ' 

A  teacher  of  Third  Reader  children  reports : 
"It  has  been  a  pleasure  to  me  to  follow  your  in- 
structions in  regard  to  the  teaching  of  ( Memory 
Gems,'  because  I  believe  in  the  principle  upon 
which  they  are  based ;  viz. ,  that  to  fill  the  minds 
of  the  young  with  good  and  pure  thoughts  is  a 
great  safeguard,  and  will  be  through  life  a  potent 
factor  in  building  up  character. ' ' 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  95 

A  teacher  of  the  C  Grade  says:  " Aside  from 
the  literary  value  of  these  gems,  I  believe  that  this 
form  of  moral  instruction  is  the  best  that  has  ever 
been  introduced  into  the  Cincinnati  schools. ' ' 

"  The  beautiful  thoughts  of  others,"  says  a  D 
Grade  teacher  in  her  report,  * '  embodied  in  these 
gems,  become,  in  a  large  degree,  the  child's  own, 
and  his  moral  nature  is  lifted  up.  .  .  .  They 
can  not  fail  to  cultivate  a  pure  literary  taste 
which  will  send  young  men  and  women  out  from  the 
schools  into  the  business  of  life  with  a  fondness  for 
good  reading,  and  with  minds  sufficiently  disci- 
plined to  analyze  and  understand  what  they  read. ' ' 

' '  Words  set  to  meter, ' '  says  another  D  Grade 
teacher,  * '  are  easily  retained,  as  is  well  known,  in 
the  memory  of  a  child.  How  wise,  then,  in  the 
teacher,  to  take  the  aid  nature  thus  offers,  and  make 
the  musical  rhymes  which  delight  the  ear  of  children 
the  medium  for  fixing  forever  upon  their  souls  the 
everlasting  truths  of  morality ! ' ' 

'  'All  the  stirring  ideas  and  strong  moral  prompt- 
ings of  the  gems,"  says  a  principal,  "will  have 
their  full  force  and  effect  in  the  adult  life  of  the 
pupil,  when  he  has  forgotten  where  he  learned  the 
words. ' ' 

* '  From  the  earliest  introduction  into  my  school 
of  gems, ' '  says  an  F  Grade  (Second  Reader)  teacher, 
"they  have  exerted  an  influence  of  great  good 
upon  the  children,  enriching  their  minds  and 


96  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

thoughts,  beautifying  their  language  and  ennobling 
their  characters. ' ' 

' '  The  teaching  of  these  gems, ' '  says  a  D  Grade 
teacher,  ' '  has  been  a  great  benefit  to  the  pupils.  It 
has  cultivated  a  taste  for  a  higher  literature  than  they 
otherwise  would  seek,  has  made  them  acquainted 
with  new  authors,  and  has  given  them  many  moral 
lessons  which  they  would  not  have  received  so 
pleasantly  in  any  other  form.  The  gems  have  also 
been  of  use  to  the  teacher,  for  the  moral  truths 
contained  in  them  have  been  of  great  help  in  the 
discipline  of  the  room." 

Edward  S.  Peaslee,  first  assistant  in  the  Twenty- 
sixth  District  School  (now  principal  of  the  Kirby 
Road  Intermediate  School),  says:  "  I  have  found 
not  only  that  the  study  of  literary  gems  is  to  both 
teachers  and  pupils  a  most  interesting  and  judicious 
introduction  to  the  work  of  the  day,  but  that  it  en- 
genders a  state  of  mind  habitually  fruitful  in 
patience,  kindness,  and  high  endeavor.  I  am  con- 
vinced, too,  that  as  a  means  of  widening  the  intel- 
lectual horizon,  and  broadening  the  sympathies,  the 
carefully  taught  '  gem '  is  unsurpassed.  A  for- 
tunate thing  in  the  teaching  of  morals  through 
gems  of  literature,  especially  to  older  pupils,  is 
that  they  furnish  a  powerful  re-enforcment  of 
the  teacher's  personality.  Ideas  that  might  pass 
for  little  with  them  if  received  as  coming  solely 
from  a  teacher  however  much  respected,  are  won- 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  97 

derfully  emphasized  when  known  to  be  sustained 
by  the  great  names  of  literature.  My  uniform  ex- 
perience has  been  that  the  pupils  thoroughly  en- 
joy this  feature  of  school  work,  and  that  there  is 
nothing  they  recall  with  equal  pleasure  in  subse- 
quent years.  In  this  they  are  like  the  world  at 
large,  high  and  low.  We  know,  for  example,  that 
Mr.  Gladstone  has  drawn  such  comfort  from  a 
quotation  from  an  ancient  author  that  he  has  it 
placed  upon  a  wall  of  his  home,  and  that  Robert 
C.  Winthrop  in  his  state  of  semi-invalidism,  found 
a  similar  quotation  of  more  use  to  him,  as  he  said, 
than  all  the  prescriptions  of  his  physician,  and  all  are 
aware  that  the  great  mass  of  uncultured  men  and 
women  have  found  wisdom  and  solace  in  proverbs 
and  sayings  since  the  days  of  Solomon."  (See 
Fifty-seventh  Annual  Report  of  the  Cincinnati 
Public  Schools.) 

THE  REPORT  OF  THE  FRENCH  COMMISSION 

Before  bringing  this  article  to  a  close,  the  at- 
tention of  the  reader  is  called  to  the  report  of  the 
Educational  Commission 9  appointed  by  the  French 
Government  in  1883  to  examine  the  various  ques- 
tions connected  with  teaching  in  the  United  States. 

The  commission  visited  this  country,  and  spent 
several  months  in  diligently  and  faithfully  examin- 
ing into  methods  of  instruction,  courses  of  study, 
7 


98  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

organization  and  manner  of  conducting  the  schools, 
in  a  number  of  the  great  cities  of  the  country  that 
were  selected  especially  on  account  of  the  excel- 
lence of  their  systems  of  education. 

From  that  part  of  the  official  report  to  the 
Minister  of  Public  Instruction  of  France  which 
treats  of  the  Cincinnati  public  schools,  the  follow- 
ing is  taken : 

"At  Cincinnati,  the  children  are  intelligent,  amiable, 
cheerful,  natural,  and  properly  disciplined.  .  .  .  The 
methods  and  aims  which  regulate  the  teaching  in  the  dif- 
ferent branches  give  value,  force,  and  very  great  attrac- 
tion to  the  studies.  It  seems  that  here,  more  than  any- 
where else,  instruction  is  considered  a  means  of  which 
education  is  the  end.  Hence  the  teaching  is  so  directed 
as  to  elevate  the  mind  and  produce  a  moral  progress. 

"The  time  given  to  reading  and  literary  exercises  is 
very  considerable.  The  pupils  of  all  the  schools  take 
part  in  this  kind  of  work  according  to  their  capacity; 
and  in  the  upper  classes  they  are  sufficiently  familiar  with 
the  great  writers  to  make  quotations  from  their  principal 
works,  and  they  are  able  to  recite  from  memory  many 
fine  passages  from  the  English  and  American  poets.  One 
may  see  on  the  blackboards  entire  pieces  written  by  the 
scholars.  They  are  never  unprepared.  One  may  demand 
from  them  with  confidence  pieces  from  Longfellow,  Bry- 
ant, or  Shakespeare.  The  pupils  take  in  these  literary 
recreations  a  very  lively  interest,  which  everything  else 
contributes  to  increase  and  develop. 

"The  superintendent  has  recently  introduced  into 
the  schools  the  celebration  of  the  birthdays  of  the  great 
men  who  have  made  their  country  famous — useful  citizens, 
poets,  statesmen.  These  festivals,  which  occur  suffi- 
ciently often,  are  genuine  tournaments,  for  which  the 


MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING  99 

pupils  who  are  to  figure  in  them  prepare  themselves  in 
advance,  and  here"  they  recite,  with  talent  and  almost 
without  pretension,  choice  pieces  from  the  works  of  the 
person  whose  memory  they  that  day  honor.  These  re- 
unions, which  have  the  character  of  family  festivals,  are 
also,  to  the  authorities  who  preside,  the  occasion  for  ap- 
proving and  encouraging  words  addressed  to  teachers  and 
pupils,  all  of  whom  contribute  by  their  zeal  and  devotion 
to  these  happy  results."  (For  full  report,  see  54th  An- 
nual Report.) 


BOARDS  OF  EDUCATION  SHOULD  ACT 

One  would  naturally  think  that  all  that  would 
be  necessary  to  be  done  to  introduce  into  the 
schools  such  beautiful  and  ennobling  work  as  has 
been  described  in  these  pages,  would  be  to  call  the 
attention  of  educators  to  it.  But  not  so.  If  it  were 
so,  * '  jewels  of  literature ' '  would  be  taught  regularly 
in  every  public  and  private  school  in  the  land ;  for 
what  teacher  is  there  whose  attention  has  not  been 
called  to  it?  What  teacher  is  there  who  does  not 
know  that  such  selections  committed  to  memory 
by  the  pupils  must  exert  a  potent  influence  for 
good  upon  their  lives  and  characters,  even  if  noth- 
ing more  be  done  by  the  teacher  than  to  see  that 
the  selections  are  thoroughly  memorized. 

The  fact  is,  that  comparatively  little  will  be 
done  in  the  schools  of  our  country  in  this  direction 
of  moral  and  literary  training  until  boards  of  edu- 
cation, or  others  in  authority,  provide  for  such 


100  MORAL  AND  LITERARY  TRAINING 

instruction  in  their  courses  of  study  by  requiring 
a  given  number  of  lines  to  be  taught  each  week, 
and  assigning  a  definite  amount  of  time  to  teaching 
them.  Let  us  work  for  the  accomplishment  of 
this  end. 


REVIVAL  IN  AMERICAN  LITERATURE 

It  is  a  source  of  gratification,  but  not  of  self- 
pride,  for  I  "builded  better  than  I  knew,"  and 
therefore  lay  no  claim  to  any  merit  of  my  own  in 
the  matter,  that,  out  of  those  simple  talks  on  the 
extract  from  ' '  Sun  and  Shadow, ' '  has  grown  the 
great  literary  movement  which  includes  in  its 
scope  the  celebration  of  the  birthdays  of  authors, 
statesmen,  soldiers,  as  well  as  that  of  "Arbor- 
day,"  in  the  public  schools  of  the  country,  and 
which  has  caused,  as  the  poet  Longfellow  said  it 
would,  a  revival  in  American  literature,  and  has 
been  the  means  of  putting  millions  of  good  books 
into  the  hands  of  American  youth.  The  late  Mr. 
H.  O.  Houghton,  of  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co. ,  said  to 
me  that  at  the  time  of  the  celebration  of  Whittier's 
birthday  (December  17,  1879),  they  had  a  very 
large  stock  of  the  poet's  works  on  hand ;  but  that, 
within  a  few  days  thereafter,  it  was  disposed  of, 
and  that  for  six  weeks  the  firm  was  unable  to 
print  Whittier's  poems  fast  enough  to  keep  up 
with  the  demand. 


Origin  of  "School  Arbor-day;"  or, 

"Arbor-day"  Celebrations 

by  Public  Schools 


101 


OKIGIN  OF  "SCHOOL  AKBOE-DAT." 

"We  sometimes  forget  that  the  highest  aim  of  edu- 
cation is  to  form  right  character,  and  that  is  accom- 
plished more  by  impressions  made  upon  the  heart  than 
by  knowledge  imparted  to  the  mind.  The  awakening  of 
our  best  sympathies,  the  cultivation  of  our  best  and 
purest  tastes ;  strengthening  the  desire  to  be  useful  and 
good,  and  directing  youthful  ambition  to  unselfish  ends, — 
such  are  the  objects  of  true  education.  Surely,  nothing 
can  be  better  calculated  to  secure  these  ends  than  the 
holiday  set  apart  for  the  public  schools." — Extract  from 
Letter  of  the  Historian,  J.  T.  Headley,  written  on  the  oc- 
casion of  the  Second  Celebration  of  "Arbor-day."  (See 
letter.) 

ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  CINCINNATI  FORESTRY 
CLUB 

THE  love  of  trees  and  interest  in  forestry  led 
me  to  employ  Dr.  Adolph  Leufe,  an  educated 
naturalist,  who  had  devoted  much  time  to  the  study 
of  trees  and  forestry  in  Germany,  to  deliver  a 
course  of  lectures  on  ' '  Trees  and  Forests, ' '  and  on 
1 1  Forestry  and  Forestry  Schools, ' '  before  the  Cin- 
cinnati Teachers'  Normal  Institute,  in  August,  1881. 

In  these  discourses,  which  created  great  interest 
in  the  subject  of  forestry,  the  lecturer  recommended 

103 


104  ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY 

the  organizing  of  a  Forestry  Club  by  the  principals 
and  teachers  of  the  schools. 

The  Teachers'  Forestry  Club  was  accordingly 
organized,  with  Mr.  Peaslee  as  president,  and  Dr. 
Leu£  as  secretary.  After  a  number  of  successful 
meetings,  the  public  began  to  show  so  much  inter- 
est in  the  subject  of  forestry  that  it  was  thought 
best  to  form  a  new  club,  and  admit  to  membership, 
not  only  teachers,  but  all  other  worthy  persons  who 
desired  to  join.  Thereupon,  the  secretary  was  in- 
structed to  call  a  meeting  for  organization. 

After  corresponding  upon  the  subject  with  Dr. 
John  A.  "Warder,  Professor  Strauch,  superintend- 
ent of  Spring  Grove  Cemetery,  Hon.  Leonard  B. 
Hodges,  secretary  of  the  Minnesota  Association, 
and  others,  Dr.  Leuk  called  a  meeting  by  an- 
nouncement in  the  daily  papers  and  by  letters  to 
persons  known  to  be  interested  in  forestry,  to  be 
held  in  the  lecture-room  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  for  November  5, 1881,  and  at  this  date  and 
place  the  Cincinnati  Forestry  Club  was  publicly  or- 
ganized. In  January,  1883,  this  club  was  succeeded 
by  the  Ohio  State  Forestry  Association,  of  which 
Judge  Warren  Higley  was  the  first  president. 

VISIT  OF  THE  VON  STEUBENS 

On  October  28th,  a  few  days  before  the  organ- 
ization of  the  club,  a  very  important  event  oc- 
curred, which  gave  renewed  impulse  to  the  for- 


ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY  105 

estry  movement;  viz.,  the  visit  to  Cincinnati  of 
the  Yon  Steubens.  Some  time  before  the  Centen- 
nial Celebration  of  the  Surrender  of  Lord  Corn- 
wallis  to  General  Washington,  which  celebration 
was  held  at  Yorktown,  Ya.,  October  19,  1881,  an 
invitation  was  sent  by  the  authorities  at  Washing- 
ton to  Colonel  Arndt,  Captain  Frederick,  and  Major 
Richard,  Yon  Steuben,  three  grandsons  of  General 
Yon  Steuben,  of  Eevolutionary  fame,  to  attend  the 
celebration. 

When  it  became  known  in  Cincinnati  that  they 
had  accepted  the  invitation,  a  meeting  of  promi- 
nent Germans  was  held,  for  the  purpose  of  inducing 
them  to  visit  Cincinnati  before  returning  to  their 
fatherland.  They  consented  to  come,  and  arrange- 
ments were  made  for  their  entertainment,  one  of 
the  important  features  of  which  consisted  in  a 
drive  through  Burnet  Woods  Park,  Clifton, 
Spring  Grove  Cemetery,  and  Eden  Park.  These 
places,  the  pride  of  every  Cincinnatian,  are  beau- 
tiful chiefly  on  account  of  their  trees.  Major 
Richard  Yon  Steuben,  an  imperial  forester  of  Ger- 
many— ' '  Oberf oerster, ' '  as  the  Germans  call  it — 
in  describing  the  beauties  of  these  places,  in  a  con- 
versation that  took  place  between  himself,  Judge 
Warren  Higley,  Colonel  Wm.  L.  De  Beck,  a  wide- 
awake newspaper  man,  and  others,  naturally  drifted 
into  the  subject  of  forestry.  Major  Yon  Steuben, 
finding  willing  listeners,  talked  eloquently  of  the 


106  ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY 

influence  of  forests  upon  climate,  soil,  productions, 
and  expressed  it  as  his  opinion  that  the  frequent 
floods  in  the  Ohio  River  were  largely  due  to  cut- 
ting off  the  forests  from  the  hill  and  mountain 
sides  that  border  the  Ohio  and  its  tributaries.  He 
also  told  what  forestry  had  done  for  Germany,  and 
gave  utterance  to  his  surprise  that  such  wholesale 
destruction  of  the  forests,  as  he  had  noticed  in  his 
travels  in  this  country,  should  have  been  permitted, 
and  that  nothing,  as  far  as  he  could  learn,  had  been 
done  by  the  National  or  the  State  Governments 
either  to  prevent  their  further  devastation,  or  to 
repair  the  terrible  loss  already  occasioned  by  it. 
The  statements  made  and  the  views  expressed  by 
this  distinguished  German  forester,  made  a  deep  im- 
pression, both  upon  Judge  Higley  and  Colonel 
De  Beck,  and,  not  long  afterwards,  the  Judge  re- 
lated the  conversation  before  the  Forestry  Club. 
At  about  this  time  I  prepared  a  talk  on  trees  and 
forestry,  which  I  gave  before  the  pupils  of  all  the 
grades  above  the  second  school-year.  In  the  mean- 
time, the  regular  meetings  of  the  club  were  held, 
and  the  reports  were  given  in  the  public  press  of  the 
proceedings,  which  included  essays  and  talks  by  Dr. 
Leu£ ;  Dr.  John  A.  Warder,  a  leading  advocate  of 
forestry,  recognized  as  such  both  in  the  United  States 
and  the  Dominion  of  Canada;  Hon.  Emil  Rothe, 
who  possessed  a  profound  knowledge  of  the  sub- 
ject ;  Judge  Warren  Higley ;  Dr.  W.  H.  Yenable ; 


ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY  107 

Mr.  Reuben  H.  Warder,  the  son  of  Dr.  Warder, 
and  present  superintendent  of  the  Cincinnati  parks ; 
Superintendent  John  B.  Peaslee,  and  others,  to- 
gether with  editorials  and  other  articles  on  floods 
and  forests,  including  the  views  of  Major  Yon 
Steuben.  These  reports  in  the  daily  papers  aroused 
great  interest  in  the  subject  of  forestry  in  this 
community. 

COLONEL  DE   BECK  CONCEIVES  THE   IDEA  OF 
ORGANIZING  AN  AMERICAN  FOR- 
ESTRY CONGRESS 

In  June,  1881,  Colonel  De  Beck,  with  Mr. 
John  Simpkinson,  familiarly  called  "  Uncle  John," 
one  of  Cincinnati's  most  philanthropic  citizens,  who 
has  devoted  much  time  and  money  to  charitable 
and  humane  work,  organized,  with  Mr.  Simpkin- 
son as  president,  the  Cincinnati  Memorial  Asso- 
ciation. The  Memorial  services  held  by  the  As- 
sociation in  Music  Hall  in  memory  of  the  city's 
distinguished  dead  had  proved  a  great  success.  In 
the  latter  part  of  the  following  December,  Colonel 
De  Beck,  impressed,  as  has  been  seen,  with  the  im- 
portance of  the  subject,  and  aware  of  the  growing 
sentiment  among  the  people  in  favor  of  forestry, 
saw  that  the  time  was  propitious  for  inaugurating 
a  great  forestry  movement  in  Cincinnati. 

He  conceived  the  idea  of  calling  a  convention 


108  ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY 

of  prominent  advocates  of  forestry  in  the  United 
States  and  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  together  with 
public  men  of  prominence  from  all  sections  of 
this  country,  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  in  Cin- 
cinnati an  association  for  both  countries,  to  be 
known  as  the  American  Forestry  Congress,  and  to 
make  the  occasion  one  of  the  grandest  and  most 
imposing  Cincinnati  had  ever  witnessed. 

CONFERENCE  IN  JUDGE  HIGLEY'S  OFFICE 

The  Colonel  consulted  a  number  of  his  friends 
who  were  interested  in  forestry,  and  who  had  been 
associated  with  him  and  Mr.  Simpkinson  in  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Memorial  Association.  This  re- 
sulted in  a  conference  in  Judge  Higley's  law-office 
of  the  following  gentlemen  :  Judge  Warren  Higley, 
Col.  Wm.  L.  De  Beck,  Mr.  John  Simpkinson^  Dr. 
Rabbi  Lillienthal,  Col.  A.  E.  Jones,  Hon.  Emil 
Rothe,  Dr.  W.  H.  Tenable,  and  Superintendent 
Peaslee.  At  this  conference  the  recommendation 
of  Colonel  De  Beck  was  approved ;  but  as  it  would 
require  a  considerable  amount  of  funds  to  carry 
out  the  project,  it  was  resolved  to  hold  a  meeting 
on  January  4,  1882,  at  the  Gibson  House,  and  to 
invite  to  the  same  many  of  the  prominent  and 
public-spirited  citizens  of  Cincinnati  and  vicinity, 
and  lay  the  subject  before  them,  in  order  to  obtain, 
if  possible,  their  influence  and  assistance. 


ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY  109 


ORGANIZATION   OF   THE   PROJECTORS  OF   THE 
CONGRESS 

The  invitations  were  sent  out,  and  an  enthusi- 
astic gathering  at  the  Gibson  House  was  the  result ; 
and  the  organization  of  the  projectors  of  the  Con- 
gress was  effected,  with  Mr.  John  Simpkinson  as 
president,  Judge  "Warren  Higley  as  vice-president, 
and  Professor  John  Akels  as  secretary.  The  ob- 
ject of  the  organization  was  declared  to  be  "  The 
inauguration  of  some  systematic  course  on  the  part 
of  the  National  and  State  Governments,  and  pri- 
vate corporations  and  individuals,  for  the  promo- 
tion of  forestry. ' '  The  meeting  closed  with  the  ap- 
pointment of  Dr.  John  A.  "Warder  as  chairman 
of  the  committee  to  prepare  the  literary  program 
of  the  proposed  Congress. 

It  should  be  stated  here  that  it  is  beyond  the 
scope  of  this  article  to  give  more  of  the  proceed- 
ings of  this  organization  of  the  projectors  of  the 
American  Forestry  Congress  or  of  the  Congress 
itself,  than  what  directly  relates  to  the  celebration 
of  "Arbor-day."  In  order,  however,  to  indi- 
cate to  the  reader  the  high  character  and  standing 
of  citizens  who  participated,  the  names  of  many  of 
those  who  served  on  the  various  committees  are 
given  in  Note  No.  10,  which  will  be  found  in  the 
back  part  of  this  book. 


110  ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY 


SUPERINTENDENT  PEASLEE'S  PLAN  OF  CELE- 
BRATION ADOPTED 

At  a  subsequent  meeting,  Colonel  De  Beck  rec- 
ommended that,  on  one  day  within  the  week 
of  the  Forestry  Congress,  public  exercises  be  held 
in  Eden  Park ;  that  a  grand  stand  be  erected  for 
the  speakers,  over  which  should  float  from  a  high 
staff  the  American  flag ;  that  a  band  be  engaged, 
and  the  various  clubs,  civic  societies,  military  or- 
ganizations, and  citizens  generally,  be  invited  to 
march  in  procession  to  the  Park. 

While  the  Colonel  was  speaking,  the  thought 
of  the  celebration  of  Authors'  Birthdays  flashed 
into  my  mind,  and  with  it  came  the  idea  that  it 
would  be  a  beautiful  and  appropriate  thing  to  carry 
this  celebration  feature  into  the  Park,  and  have  the 
school-children  further  honor  American  authors 
by  planting  and  dedicating  trees  in  their  memory, 
with  appropriate  and  attractive  ceremonies.  I 
thereupon  arose  and  said  :  "  Gentlemen,  the  idea 
of  spending  a  day  in  Eden  Park  is  a  good  one.  I 
will  take  the  public-school  children  into  the  Park 
on  that  day,  and  have  them  plant  and  dedicate 
trees  to  American  authors,  with  literary  and  other 
exercises,  after  the  plan  of  conducting  Authors' 
Birthday  celebrations  in  the  schools." 

This  plan  of  celebration  was  greeted  with  ap- 


ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY  111 

plause,  and  was  adopted  with  enthusiasm.  It  was 
afterwards  decided  to  plant  and  dedicate  trees  to 
the  pioneers  of  Cincinnati,  to  the  Presidents  of  the 
United  States,  to  distinguished  persons  of  the  city 
who  had  passed  away,  and  to  soldiers.  It  was  also 
decided  to  call  the  respective  groves  thus  planted 
"Authors'  Grove,"  "Pioneer  Grove,"  "Presi- 
dents' Grove,"  "Citizens'  Memorial  Grove,"  and 
"Battle  Grove." 


GOVERNOR  FOSTER  ISSUES  A  PROCLAMATION 

A  few  weeks  before  the  day  of  celebration, 
and  in  order,  if  possible,  to  induce  other  places  in 
Ohio  to  celebrate  in  a  similar  manner  on  that  day, 
the  projectors  of  the  Congress,  through  a  commit- 
tee appointed  for  the  purpose,  requested  the  State 
Legislature  to  pass  a  joint  resolution,  which  the 
committee  had  prepared,  authorizing  the  governor 
to  issue  a  proclamation  appointing  the  last  Friday 
in  April  of  each  year  as  ' '  Arbor-day. ' '  The  res- 
olution was  adopted  by  the  Ohio  Legislature  on 
March  18,  1882. 

In  accordance  with  the  resolution,  the  proclama- 
tion was  issued  by  Governor  Foster,  designating 
April  27, 1882,  as  "Arbor-day,"  and  calling  upon 
the  people  of  the  State  to  devote  the  day  to  tree- 
planting.  A  circular,  prepared  by  Dr.  Leu£  and 
myself,  explaining  the  manner  in  which  the  cele- 


112  ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY 

bration  should  be  conducted,  and  calling  upon  the 
public  schools  and  the  people  in  general  to  cele- 
brate "Arbor-day,"  was  sent  to  all  the  newspapers 
of  the  State,  with  request  to  publish. 

BOARD  OF  EDUCATION  AND  BOARD  OF  PUBLIC 
WORKS  TAKE  ACTION 

The  Board  of  Education  decided,  by  a  unani- 
mous vote,  to  dismiss  the  schools  for  two  days, 
April  27th  and  28th,  thus  giving  teachers  and  pu- 
pils an  opportunity  of  participating  in  the  celebra- 
tion of  memorial  tree-planting  in  Eden  Park,  and 
of  attending  the  remaining  exercises  of  the  Con- 
gress. At  the  request  of  the  superintendent  of 
schools,  the  Board  of  Public  Works  set  apart  about 
six  acres  in  Eden  Park  for  "Authors'  Grove," 
and  placed  the  same  under  his  charge.  The  em- 
ployees of  the  park  were  also  placed  under  his 
charge.  Indeed,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  all  the  groves, 
except  Battle  Grove,  were  in  my  care,  and  I 
spent  the  greater  part  of  two  weeks  in  Eden  Park, 
in  preparing  the  grounds  and  planting  the  trees 
previous  to  ' '  Arbor-day. ' '  Battle  Grove  was  in 
charge  of  Colonel  A.  E.  Jones.  The  west  half 
of  this  grove  consists  of  beautiful  oaks  which  the 
Colonel  previously  brought  from  Yalley  Forge  and 
planted,  and  which  he  dedicated  on  "Arbor-day" 
to  the  heroes  of  the  campaign  of  1777. 


ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY  113 


AUTHORS  SELECTED,  AND  THE  SCHOOLS  BEGIN 
PREPARATIONS 

In  the  meantime  a  meeting  of  the  principals11 
of  the  schools  and  of  the  special  teachers  was  called 
by  the  superintendent,  at  which  an  author  was  se- 
lected in  whose  honor  or  memory  each  of  the 
schools,  and  each  of  the  special  departments  of 
Music,  Drawing,  and  Penmanship,  should  plant  a 
group  of  trees.  (The  idea  of  planting  a  group  to 
each  author  was  suggested  by  Superintendent 
Strauch,  of  Spring  Grove  Cemetery.) 

Selections  on  trees  and  forestry  from  various 
authors  were  sent  to  the  several  schools,  to  be 
memorized  by  the  pupils;  also,  information  con- 
cerning historic  trees  of  our  country,  and  many 
facts  of  history  giving  the  effects  upon  climate, 
soil,  productions,  etc.,  both  of  the  destruction  and 
renewal  of  forests  were  given  them.  These,  and 
the  talks  to  which  reference  has  been  made,  formed 
the  basis  of  compositions  in  the  upper  grades.  In 
addition  to  the  above,  the  teachers  gave  biograph- 
ical sketches  of  their  respective  authors. 

Under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Leu&,  the  boys  in 
a  number  of  the  schools  were  organized  into  com- 
panies under  the  name  of  "Forest  Cadets;"  as 
the  "Emerson  Forestry  Cadets,"  of  Hughes  High 
School;  the  "Longfellow  Forestry  Cadets,"  of 
8 


114  ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY 

the  Eleventh  District  School ;  the  ' '  Holmes  For- 
estry Cadets, ' '  of  the  Twenty-second  District  and 
Intermediate  School.  The  girls,  and  the  boys  not 
organized  into  companies,  were  called  "Foresters," 
as  the  "Whittier  Foresters,"  the  "  Franklin  For- 
esters," and  so  on. 


THE  PROCESSION  AND  THE  PART  TAKEN  BY 
PUPILS  IN  THE  ACTUAL  PLANTING 

Early  in  the  afternoon  of  the  27th  of  April, 
the  Forestry  Cadets,  and  such  of  the  Foresters  as 
preferred  to  do  so  (the  majority  of  the  others  went 
to  the 12  Park  in  the  forenoon),  joined  the  great  pro- 
cession composed  of  military  and  civic  societies  and 
of  citizens  generally,  accompanied  by  carriages 
containing  the  officers  of  the  Congress,  distin- 
guished visitors  and  invited  guests,  marched  to 
the  music  of  military  bands  to  the  grand  stand  on 
the  east  ridge  of  Eden  Park.  Here  the  proces- 
sion was  disbanded,  and  the  people  repaired  to  the 
several  groves. 

That  the  part  taken  by  the  pupils  in  the  actual 
planting  may  not  be  misunderstood,  it  should  be 
stated  here  that  the  trees  were  set  out  by  experi- 
enced tree-planters  previous  to  "Arbor-day,"  as 
before  indicated,  and  that  the  pupils  imitated  the 
planting  by  filling  around  the  trees  soil  left  in 
heaps  for  this  purpose. 


ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY  115 

THE  CELEBRATION  IN  AUTHORS'  GROVE 

On  "Arbor-day,"  Authors'  Grove  was  distin- 
guished from  the  others,  Pioneer  Grove,  Presi- 
dents' Grove,  Citizens'  Memorial  Grove,  and 
Battle  Grove  (the  celebration  was  going  on  at  the 
same  time  in  each  of  these  groves ;  the  exercises, 
however,  were  less  elaborate,  consisting  only  of 
the  ceremony  of  throwing  a  little  soil  around  the 
trees  and  of  speeches  of  dedication),  by  a  large 
blue  flag  placed  near  the  center,  and  by  small  flags 
of  the  same  color  placed  around  the  grove.  At 
a  given  signal  the  pupils,  upward  of  seven  thou- 
sand in  number,  arranged  themselves,  each  school 
around  its  special  author's  group,  and  the  exercises 
began.-  In  general,  these  exercises  consisted  of 
reading  by  the  pupils  their  compositions  on  for- 
estry ;  of  reciting  individually  and  in  concert  se- 
lections on  trees;  of  giving  brief  biographical 
sketches  of  their  respective  authors ;  of  declaiming 
extracts  from  their  works ;  of  reading  letters  from 
living  authors  and  from  representatives  and  friends 
of  those  who  had  passed  away ;  of  singing  songs ; 
of  the  ceremony  of  throwing  the  soil  by  each 
pupil,  in  turn,  around  the  tree,  and  the  ceremony 
of  each  in  turn  taking  hold  of  the  tree  by  the 
hand  and  repeating  the  words  of  dedication,  al- 
ways giving  in  full  the  name  of  the  person  to 
whom  the  tree  or  group  was  planted. 


116  ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY 

At  the  expiration  of  the  time  allotted  to  this 
part  of  the  program,  the  pupils  assembled  around 
the  grand  stand,  and,  assisted  bj  instrumental  mu- 
sic, sang  our  national  songs,  "Woodman,  Spare 
that  Tree,"  "  The  Forest  Hymn, "  by  W.  H.  Yen- 
able,  and  other  selections  appropriate  to  the  occa- 
sion, and  listened  to  brief  addresses  by  Dr.  George 
B.  Loring,  Hon.  Cassius  M.  Clay,  Ex-Governor 
Noyes,  General  Durbin  "Ward,  and  others.  After 
this,  the  pupils  were  dismissed  to  enjoy  themselves 
in  their  own  way  in  the  great  park.  Thus  ended 
what,  perhaps,  were  the  most  important  lessons 
the  pupils  ever  received  in  a  single  day. 

RALPH  WALDO  EMERSON  DIES 

It  is  a  remarkable  coincidence  that  the  great 
poet  and  philosopher,  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  died 
on  April  27,  1882,  at  the  time  the  students  of 
Hughes  High  School,  under  the  direction  of  their 
principal,  Dr.  E.  W.  Coy,  were  planting  a  group 
of  sugar  maples  and  an  elm-tree  in  his  honor. 

This  fact  is  mentioned  by  Rev.  Moncure  D. 
Conway  in  the  preface  to  his  life  of  Emerson. 

THE  PLANTING  OF  THE  "STEUBEN  OAKS" 

The  planting  of  a  group  of  oaks  to  General 
Yon  Steuben  by  the  Tenth  District  School,  under 
direction  of  the  principal,  Herman  H.  Rashig, 


ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY  117 

deserves  special  mention.  The  trees  were  sent  to 
Judge  Emil  Rothe,  who,  together  with  his  family, 
was  present  at  the  celebration  exercises  by  the 
school.  Judge  Rothe,  in  a  brief  speech  to  the 
pupils,  said: 

"These  oak-trees  were  kindly  presented  to  me  by 
Oberfoerster  Richard  Von  Steuben,  who  takes  a  lively  in- 
terest in  the  purposes  of  our  Forestry  Congress,  and  sin- 
cerely regrets  that  official  duties  prevent  him  from  taking 
part  in  our  deliberations  and  exercises.  They  came  from 
the  very  heart  of  Germany,  from  the  Saxonian  country, 
from  where  Hengist  and  Horsa  went  to  the  British  Isle 
to  become  the  founders  of  a  great  empire  and  nation. 
These  are  true  native  German  oaks,  beautiful  specimens 
of  the  holy  tree  of  Asa  Thor,  the  common  symbol  of  all 
branches  of  the  Teutonic  race — the  German,  Scandinavian, 
Anglo-Saxon,  and,  the  youngest  but  most  thrifty  and  pro- 
ductive of  all,  the  Anglo-American  and  German -American 
combined." 

Another  especially  interesting  event  was  the 
planting  of  an  ash-tree  to  William  Cullen  Bryant  by 
the  Nineteenth  District  and  Intermediate  School, 
' '  the  Woodburn  School. ' '  This  tree  was  sent  by 
the  daughters  of  the  poet,  Mrs.  Parke  Godwin  and 
Miss  Julia  Bryant,  from  the  Bryant  homestead  at 
Roslyn,  Long  Island,  New  York.  The  Bryant  tree 
has  nourished  from  the  first  in  '  'Authors'  Grove, ' ' 
and  is  a  beautiful  and  appropriate  monument  to 
the  author  of  ' '  The  Forest  Hymn. ' '  The  home- 
stead is  now  (1899)  owned  by  Herold  Godwin,  the 
grandson  of  William  Cullen  Bryant. 


118  ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY 


THE  FIRST  MEMORIAL  GROVES  PLANTED  IN 
AMERICA 

In  the  preface  to  a  pamphlet  prepared  by  me, 
entitled  ' '  Trees  and  Tree-planting,  with  Exercises 
and  Directions  for  the  Celebration  of  'Arbor- 
day,'  "  Judge  Warren  Higley,  ex-president  of  the 
Ohio  State  Forestry  Association  and  of  the  Amer- 
ican Forestry  Congress,  referring  to  the  before- 
mentioned  groves,  says  truly :  ' '  These  are  the  first 
memorial  groves  ever  planted  in  America — the  first 
public  planting  of  trees  in  honor  and  memory  of 
authors,  statesmen,  soldiers,  pioneers,  and  other  dis- 
tinguished citizens.  They  were  planted  and  dedi- 
cated with  loving  hands  and  appropriate  ceremonies. 
No  sight  more  beautiful,  no  ceremonies  more  touch- 
ing, had  ever  been  witnessed  in  Cincinnati. ' ' 

There  were  present  on  this  occasion  in  Eden 
Park  more  than  thirty  thousand  people — some  esti- 
mates make  the  number  fifty  thousand — to  partici- 
pate in,  or  to  witness,  the  first  great  celebration  of 
memorial  tree-planting  on  the  continent. 

CINCINNATI  ARBOR-HAIN 

On  the  day  these  groves  were  planted,  the 
Royal  Forest  Academy  of  Tharandt,  Saxony,  the 
most  renowned  forestry  school  in  the  world,  under 
the  direction  of  the  celebrated  professor,  Dr.  F. 


ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY  119 

Judeich,  planted,  on  * '  the  Cincinnati  Plan, ' '  near 
the  famous  grove  of  beech  known  as  "  Tharandt's 
Heilige  Hallen,"  a  grove  of  one  hundred  catalpa 
(Catalpa,  speciosa),  dedicated  it  to  "Cincinnati 
Arbor-day, ' '  and  called  it  the  ' '  Cincinnati  Arbor- 
Hain"  ("Cincinnati  Arbor  Grove").  The  trees 
were  sent  by  Dr.  Leu&,  from  Dr.  John  A.  Warder's 
farm,  North  Bend,  Ohio.  The  Catalpa  speciosa 
is  a  purely  American  tree,  described  and  named  by 
Dr.  Warder,  and  this  is  its  first  introduction  into 
Europe. 

"THE  CINCINNATI  PLAN"    POPULARIZED 
"  ARBOR-DAY  " 

The  foregoing  plan  of  planting  and  dedicating 
trees  to  distinguished  persons,  rightly  named  by 
Dr.  B.  G.  Northrop  "the  Cincinnati  Plan,"  was 
soon  followed  in  every  State  in  the  Union  and  in 
the  Dominion  of  Canada,  and  has  crossed  the  At- 
lantic into  England  and  the  continent  of  Europe. 
It  popularized  "Arbor-day,"  whose  object  up  to 
that  time  had  been  to  plant  trees  for  economic 
purposes,  and  which,  from  its  origin  in  1872, 
when  it  was  inaugurated  in  the  so-called  treeless 
State  of  Nebraska  by  Hon.  J.  Sterling  Morton, 
the  governor,  to  1882,  had  been  adopted  in  but 
two  other  States — Kansas  and  Minnesota — States 
that  embraced  within  their  borders  vast  areas  of 


120  ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY 

treeless  lands,  where  forest-planting  was  looked 
upon  by  the  people  as  an  absolute  necessity.  In- 
deed, a  day  would  not  be  set  apart  by  the  governor 
or  Legislature  of  a  State  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
planting  trees  except  in  a  so-called  treeless  State. 
In  this  connection  the  following  passage  from  the 
Report  of  the  Committee  on  Forestry  Education  to 
the  American  Forestry  Congress,  at  its  meeting  at 
St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  is  quoted : 

"  With  increasing  intelligence  and  general  informa- 
tion among  American  teachers,  we  believe  that  they  may 
do  much  unofficially  to  impart  a  love  of  trees  and  habits 
of  observation.  An  'Arbor-day '  designed  for  school-chil- 
dren, as  in  Ohio,  is  a  valuable  educational  means,  though 
quite  different  from  '  Arbor-day '  designed  for  forest  plan- 
tations, as  in  Nebraska  and  Minnesota." 

That  I  may  not  be  understood  as  underestimat- 
ing the  importance,  to  such  States  as  Nebraska, 
Kansas,  and  Minnesota,  of  an  "  Arbor-day  ' '  in- 
stituted for  forest  planting,  I  have  to  say  that  I 
yield  to  no  one  in  my  appreciation  of  the  * '  Ne- 
braska Arbor-day."  The  magnificent  scale  on 
which  the  people  carried  out  Governor  Morton's 
design,  as  evinced  by  the  fact  that  on  the  first 
"Arbor-day,"  according  to  the  official  reports, 
more  than  12,000,000  trees  were  planted  in  Ne- 
braska, challenges  the  admiration  of  every  lover  of 
his  country. 


ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY  121 


"ARBOR-DAY  "  CELEBRATION  OF  1883 

Early  in  the  year  1883  it  occurred  to  me 
that  several  groups  should  be  marked  in  some 
permanent  way,  so  that  not  only  the  children  who 
participated  in  the  exercises,  but  those  who  are  to 
follow  them  in  the  schools,  and  all  other  persons 
who  may  visit  "Authors'  Grove,"  may  know  in 
whose  honor  or  memory  each  group  was  planted. 
I  felt  that  the  grove,  thus  marked,  would  be  in  it- 
self an  important  educator ;  that  many,  seeing  the 
names  of  the  great  authors  in  American  literature 
recorded  there,  would  be  induced  to  seek  further 
information  concerning  their  lives  and  writings. 

I  consulted  the  principals  and  the  special  su- 
perintendents of  Drawing,  Music,  and  Penman- 
ship, and  they,  with  one  exception,  coincided  with 
my  views.  Having  decided  to  mark  the  groups, 
the  question  arose  as  to  the  best  way  of  doing  it. 
Professor  Strauch  and  other  specialists  were  con- 
sulted, and  it  was  decided  to  place  a  granite 
* '  marker ' '  at  each  group,  on  which  should  be  cut,  in 
raised  letters,  the  name  of  the  author  and  of  the  school 
planting  the  group.  These  stones,  not  less  than  eight 
inches  square  on  top,  and  standing  about  four  to  six 
inches  above  ground  and  eighteen  to  twenty  below, 
were  placed  in  position  just  before  last  "Arbor- 
day.  ' '  The  cost  of  these  markers  was  eight  dollars 


122  ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY 

and  fifty  cents  each,  and  the  money  for  the  pay- 
ment of  the  same  was  raised  by  subscription. 

INSCRIPTIONS  ON  THE  GRANITE  MARKERS 

The  inscription  on  each  of  the  several  stones 
(fifty  in  number)  is  as  follows.  The  form  of  the 
inscription  is  given  in  the  first  only : 

EMEESON. 
Emerson  died  the  very  day  these  trees  were 

planted  in  his  honor. 
HUGHES  HIGH  SCHOOL. 

Everett — Woodward  High  School;  Gallagher — 
Normal  School;  Woodworth— " The  Old  Oaken 
Bucket" — Drawing  department;  F.  S.  Key — 
' '  The  Star-spangled  Banner ' ' — Music  Depart- 
ment; Draper — Penmanship  Department;  Agas- 
siz — First  Intermediate  School;  Whipple — First 
Intermediate  School ;  Bayard  Taylor,  Horace  Gree- 
ley,  and  George  D.  Prentice — Second  Intermedi- 
ate School;  J.  T.  Headley,  Stedman,  and  Lucy 
Larcom — Second  Intermediate  School ;  Bancroft — 
Third  Intermediate  School ;  Worcester — Third  In- 
termediate School;  Cooper — Fourth  Intermediate 
School;  Noah  Webster — Fourth  Intermediate 
School;  G.  W.  Cutter — First  District  School; 
Drake  and  Percival — Second  District  School ;  J.  J. 
Piatt  and  Mrs.  S.  M.  B.  Piatt— Third  District 
School ;  Prescott — Fourth  District  School ;  Irving 


ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY  123 

—Fifth  District  School ;  T.  B.  Eead— Sixth  Dis- 
trict School;  J.  G.  Holland — Eighth  District 
School ;  Willis — Ninth  District  School ;  Franklin 
— Tenth  District  School;  Steuben,  German  oaks 
from  the  forests  of  Saxony — Tenth  District  School ; 
Longfellow  —  Eleventh  District  School;  Alice 
Cary  and  Mrs.  Sigourney  —  Twelfth  District 
School ;  Phoebe  Cary — Thirteenth  District  School ; 
Poe — Fourteenth  District  School;  Lowell — Fif- 
teenth District  School;  Hawthorne  —  Sixteenth 
District  School;  Motley — Seventeenth  District 
School;  Horace  Mann  —  Eighteenth  District 
School;  Bryant  —  Nineteenth  District  School; 
George  P.  Morris,  ' '  Woodman,  spare  that  tree ' ' 
— Twentieth  District  School;  Webster — Twenty- 
first  District  School;  Holmes — Twenty-second 
District  School ;  Sealsfield  (Karl  Postal) — Twenty- 
third  District  School ;  Fields — Twenty-fourth  Dis- 
trict School;  Thoreau — Twenty-fifth  District 
School ;  Whittier — Twenty-sixth  District  School ; 
Howells — Twenty-seventh  District  School;  Hal- 
leek — Twenty-eighth  District  School ;  Stoddard — 
Price  Hill  School;  Sparks — Mornington  School; 
Phillis  Wheatley— Colored  Schools;  Mrs.  H.  B. 
Stowe — Gaines  High  School  (colored) ;  Sumner — 
Eastern  and  Walnut  Hills  Schools  (colored) ;  Los- 
sing — Schools;  John  Howard  Payne,  "Home, 
Sweet  Home"  —  Office  of  Superintendent  of 
Schools;  W.  H.  Venable — The  Chickering  In- 


124  ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY 

stitute.  No  "marker"  was  placed  at  the  group 
planted  in  1882  to  Richard  Henry  Dana  and  Rich- 
ard Henry  Dana,  Jr. 

This  year,  Authors'  Grove  was  extended  by 
planting  trees  to  Louise  M.  Alcott,  Charles  Dud- 
ley "Warner,  Edward  Everett  Hale,  Margaret  Ful- 
ler, Charles  Carleton  Coffin,  Charles  Sprague, 
William  Gilmore  Simms,  Henry  T.  Tuckerman, 
"William  "W.  Fosdick,  Cincinnati  poet,  recognized 
at  the  time  as  the  ' '  City  Laureate, ' '  Coates  Kinney, 
author  of  "Rain  on  the  Roof,"  General  "W.  H. 
Lytle,  Cincinnati  poet,  author  of  "Antony  and 
Cleopatra,"  and  Thomas  S.  Grimke. 


DESCRIPTION   OF   THE   CELEBRATION,  BY   MRS. 
HARDACRE 

In  giving  a  description  of  this  celebration,  Mrs. 
Emma  P.  Hardacre,  in  one  of  the  Cincinnati 
morning  papers,  says : 

"The  east  ridge  of  the  park  was  thronged  with  asso- 
ciations planting  tablets  to  the  memories  of  the  Presi- 
dents of  the  United  States,  the  heroes  of  Valley  Forge, 
the  pioneers  of  Cincinnati,  in  their  respective  groves, 
while  the  northern  projecting  slope  of  the  ridge  was  oc- 
cupied by  fully  17,000  children  in  honoring  'Authors' 
Grove.'  Viewed  from  the  summit  of  the  ridge,  immedi- 
ately west,  the  sight  was  one  of  the  most  animating  ever 
brought  before  the  eyes  of  Cincinnatians.  The  entire 
ridge,  nearly  a  third  of  a  mile  in  length,  was  occupied  by 


ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY  125 

those  persons  taking  part  in  the  first-named  ceremonies, 
while  the  slope  designated,  was  occupied  by  a  dense  mass 
of  gayly-dressed  children  in  active  motion  over  the  sur- 
face of  about  six  acres,  and  whose  voices,  wafted  across 
the  deep  hollow  to  the  western  ridge,  sounded  like  the 
chattering  from  a  grove  full  of  happy  birds.  The  eastern 
slope  of  the  ridge  was  occupied  by  1,500  or  2,000  specta- 
tors, who,  reclining  on  the  green  spring  sod  of  the  grassy 
slopes,  quietly  surveyed  the  scene  at  a  distance." 

The  special  feature  of  the  celebration  of  1883, 
was  the  reception  by  the  Twenty-fourth  District 
and  Intermediate  School  of  the  Autograph  Manu- 
scripts of  twelve  American  Authors,  a  valuable 
and  appropriate  present  of  Mrs.  Annie  Fields, 
of  Boston.  A  history  of  these  manuscripts  is 
given  elsewhere. 


The  sentiment  of  the  scholars  in  regard  to  trees, 
which  is  one  of  the  direct  results  of  the  celebra- 
tion, is  clearly  shown  by  the  fact  that  though  there 
were  thousands  of  children  in  Eden  Park  on  Arbor- 
day  of  both  years,  not  one  injured  a  tree  in  any 
manner.  In  contrast  to  this,  a  prominent  writer 
in  one  of  the  leading  journals  of  England,  in  an 
article  strongly  advocating  the  adoption,  by  the 
public  schools  of  Great  Britain,  of  ' '  the  Cincin- 
nati Plan ' '  of  celebrating  tree-planting,  said  that 
in  Epping  Park,  on  every  public  holiday,  the  au- 


126  ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY 

thorities  employ  a  large  force  of  special  policemen 
to  keep  the  people  from  wantonly  injuring  and  de- 
stroying trees,  and  that,  notwithstanding  all  the 
care  and  precaution  taken  to  prevent  it,  trees  are 
mutilated  on  all  the  public  occasions 

CELEBRATION  OF  1884 

In  order  to  assist  the  principals  and  teachers 
of  the  public  schools  in  making  the  necessary  prep- 
aration for  the  school  celebration  which  took  place 
in  " Authors'  Grove,"  April  30,  1884,  I  prepared 
the  sixty-four-page  pamphlet,  to  which  reference 
has  been  made,  in  two  parts,  for  use  in  the  schools. 
Part  I  contains  many  warning  lessons  from  history 
of  the  disastrous  effects  which  followed  the  destruc- 
tion of  forests ;  also  examples  of  the  beneficial  ef- 
fects of  tree-planting  and  forest  preservation; 
articles  on  ' '  Forest  Management  in  Other  Coun- 
tries ; ' '  "  How  Moisture  is  Retained  by  Forests ; ' ' 
"Effects  on  "Water-supply  of  Rivers  and  Brooks ;" 
< '  Floods ; "  "  Heathf  ulness  of  Forests ; "  "  Mech- 
anism of  a  Tree ; "  "  Proportionate  Area  of  Wood- 
land;" "Roadside  Trees;"  "Famous  Trees;" 
"How  to  Plant  Trees;"  "Arbor-day;"  "De- 
struction of  Forests  in  Ohio  and  Other  States ;" 
"Profits  of  Forest  Culture;"  "Constitution  of 
Tillage  Improvement  Societies."  Part  II  con- 
tains selections  on  trees  in  prose  and  poetry  for 


ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY  127 

recitation.  Five  thousand  copies  of  the  pam- 
phlet13 were  printed  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Ohio  State  Forestry  Association,  and  distributed, 
free  of  cost,  to  the  Cincinnati  teachers,  and  sent  to 
superintendents  of  schools  in  many  places  in  Ohio 
and  other  States.  Our  teachers  made  excellent  use 
of  the  information  furnished  them,  and  a  splendid 
program  for  each  school  was  the  result.  On  Ar- 
bor-day every  school  was  represented,  and  upwards 
of  twenty  thousand  children  took  part  in  the  cele- 
bration. 


NAMES  OF  AUTHORS  TO  WHOM  TREES  WERE 
PLANTED  IN  1884 

In  addition  to  filling  up  former  groups  by 
planting  trees  in  the  places  of  those  that  died,  trees 
were  planted  in  honor  and  memory  of  the  fol- 
lowing authors : 

Alden,  W.  L.,  author  of  "History  of  Rome 
for  Young  People;"  Alden,  Mrs.  Isabella, 
"Pansy  Books;"  Aldrich,  Thomas  Bailey ;  Alli- 
bone,  S.  Austin,  " Dictionary  of  Authors;"  Ban- 
vard,  Joseph,  works  on  early  American  history; 
Boker,  George  H. ;  Bolton,  Sarah  T. ,  Western 
poet;  Bonner,  John,  "A  Child's  History  of  the 
United  States,"  "of  Greece"  and  "of  Rome;" 
Butterworth,  Hezekiah,  ' '  Zigzag  Journey ' '  books ; 
Carleton,  "William,  "  Farm  Ballads ;"  Champlin, 


128  ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY 

John  D.,  Jr.,  "  Young  Folks'  Cyclopaedia  of  Com- 
mon Things  " — Champlin's  works  should  be  found 
in  every  school ;  Cheney,  Mrs.  C.  Emma,  "Young 
Folks'  History  of  the  War;"  Child,  Mrs.  Lydia 
Maria,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  juvenile  literature 
of  this  country ;  Clark,  Rebecca  S.  (Sophie  May), 
author  of  "Prudy  Stories;"  Diaz,  Mrs.  Abby 
May,  "William  Henry  Letters;"  Dodge,  Mrs. 
Mary  Mapes,  editor  of  St.  Nicholas  and  author  of 
' '  Hans  Brinker, "  "  Donald  and  Dorothy, ' '  etc. ; 
Douglas,  Miss  Amanda  M.,  "Kathie  Stories;" 
Duyckinck,  Evert  A.  and  George  L.,  authors  of 
'  'Duyckinck'sCyclopsediaof  American  Literature, ' ' 
the  greatest  work  on  the  subject — every  school 
should  be  supplied  with  a  copy ;  Eddy,  D.  C. , '  'Wal- 
ter's Tour  in  the  East, "  < '  Eip  Yan  Winkle's  Trav- 
els in  Europe, ' '  etc. ;  Eggleston,  Edward,  ' '  Hoo- 
sier  Schoolmaster, ' '  with  his  sister  Lillie  Eggleston 
Lyle,  wrote  a  number  of  Indian  biographies ;  Eg- 
gleston, George  Gary,  brother  of  Edward,  "Big 
Brother  Series,"  "How  to  Educate  Yourself;" 
Findley,  Martha  (Martha  Farquharson),  "Elsie" 
books ;  Gilman,  Arthur,  editor  of  many  books  for 
young  folks ;  Goodrich,  Samuel  G.  (Peter  Parley), 
the  father  of  American  juvenile  literature ;  Hale, 
Mrs.  Sarah  J. ,  "is  known  all  over  the  land  for  her 
lifelong  efforts  to  promote  the  intellectual  eleva- 
tion of  her  sex;"  Haven,  Mrs.  Alice  B.  (Cousin 
Alice) ;  Hart,  John  S. ,  author  of  manuals  of  Amer- 


ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY  129 

lean  and  English  literature ;  Higginson,  Thomas  "W. , 
editor  of  ' '  Young  Folks'  Book  of  American  Explor- 
ers, "  <  'Young  Folks'  History  of  the  United  States ; ' ' 
Hill,  George  C. ,  author  of  a  series  of  American 
biographies  for  young  folks ;  Jackson,  Helen  Hunt 
(H.  H.),  poet  and  prose  writer ;  Johnson,  Rossiter, 
'  *  History  of  the  Old  French  War ' '  and  other  books 
for  the  young;  Kellogg,  Elijah,  author  of  books 
for  boys  and  of  the  speech  of  "  Spartacus  to  the 
Gladiators;"  Knox,  Colonel  Thomas  "W.,  "Boy 
Traveler"  series;  Ladd,  Horatio  O.,  "History  of 
the  "War  with  Mexico;"  Lanier,  Sidney,  "Boy's 
King  Arthur,"  etc.;  Lippincott,  Mrs.  Sara  J. 
(Grace  Greenwood),  author  of  a  number  of  most 
excellent  books  for  boys  and  girls — the  latest  is 
"Life  of  Queen  Victoria;"  Lodge,  Henry  C., 
"English  Colonists  in  America;"  Lothrop,  Mrs. 
H.  M.  (Margaret  Sidney),  has  written  a  number  of 
fine  books  for  young  people;  McGuffey,  ~W\  H., 
author  of  our  school  readers ;  Markham,  Richard, 
editor  of  the  ' '  Chronicle  of  the  Cid, ' '  and  author  of 
' '  King  Philip's  War, "  "  Colonial  Days ; ' '  Monroe, 
Mrs.  Lewis  B.,  "The  Story  of  our  Country;" 
Moulton,  Mrs.  Louise  C.,  has  written  four  or  five 
fine  volumes  for  little  folks;  Nordhoff,  Charles, 
formerly  of  Cincinnati,  author  of  "Politics  for 
Young  Americans;"  Ober,  Fred.  A.,  "Travels  in 
Mexico,"  "Young  Folks'  History  of  Mexico;" 
Parkman,  Francis,  has  made  himself  authority  on 
9 


130  ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY 

i 

all  that  is  connected  with  the  early  settlement  of 
the  West ;  Parton,  James,  author  of  many  biog- 
raphies of  prominent  men ;  Parton,  Sarah  Willis 
(Fanny  Fern),  sister  of  N.  P.  Willis — one  of  her 
books  is  ' '  Little  Ferns  for  Fanny's  Little  Friends ; ' ' 
Peebles,  Mrs.  M.  L.  (Lynde  Palmer),  "has  writ- 
ten some  admirable  stories,  which  are  among  the 
best  of  their  kind ; ' '  Ward  (Phelps),  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Stuart,  "Gypsy  Breynton"  series — "the  '  Trotty 
Book '  is  one  of  the  most  charmingly  natural 
sketches  in  infantile  literature ; ' '  Powell,  Thomas, 
' '  Living  Writers  of  England ' '  and  '  'Living  Writers 
of  America;"  Prentiss,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  ("Aunt 
Susan  "),  another  favorite  of  the  little  ones ;  Ray, 
Joseph,  author  of  "Ray's  Mathematical  Series;" 
Richardson,  Mrs.  Abby  (Sage),  author  of  a  delight- 
ful history  of  our  country,  dedicated  to  her  boy, 
and  of  stories  from  English  poetry;  Saxe,  John 
G. ;  Scudder,  Horace  E. ,  editor  of  many  attract- 
ive books  for  the  young;  Richardson,  Charles 
F.,  "Primer  of  American  Literature,"  "  On  the 
Choice  of  Books ; ' '  Spofford,  Mrs.  Harriet  (Pres- 
cott),  "Her  writings  manifest  a  supreme  sense  of 
beauty ;  they  show,  also,  a  wide  range 

of  reading,  especially  of  poetry,  a  knowledge  of  hu- 
man nature,"  etc.;  Stockton,  Frank  R.,  contrib- 
utor to  periodical  juvenile  literature  and  author  of 
juvenile  works;  Stoddard,  W.  0.,  "Among  the 
Lakes,"  and  other  excellent  juveniles;  Thaxter, 


ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY  131 

Mrs.  Celia,  has  written  poems  for  children,  *  'Among 
the  Isle  of  Shoals,"  and  other  works;  Thayer, 
William  M. ,  "  Tanner  Boy ' '  series,  including 
lives  of  Washington  and  Garfield ;  Towle,  George 
M.,  "Young  Folks'  Biographies  of  Early  Explor- 
ers;" Trowbridge,  J.  T. ;  Tuthill,  Mrs.  Louisa  C., 
has  had  great  success  in  writing  books  for  the 
young ;  Underwood,  Francis  H. ,  author  of  a  work 
on  English  and  one  on  American  literature,  also  of 
several  biographies;  Watson,  Henry  C.,  author  of 
a  number  of  works  on  early  American  history; 
Westlake,  J.  W. ,  ' '  Common  School  Literature, ' ' 
an  excellent  little  work ;  Whitney,  Mrs.  A.  D.  T. 
— "Mrs.  Whitney's  'Leslie  Goldthwait'  is  a 
lovely  picture  of  young  girlhood,  which  the  author 
has  illustrated  in  several  other  stories ; ' '  Wilson, 
James  Grant,  author  of  several  biographical  works, 
including  lives  of  Bryant  and  Halleck ;  Woolsey, 
Mrs.  Sarah  C.  (Susan  Coolidge),  another  favorite 
author  for  little  folks ;  Timothy  Flint,  author  of 
"  Eecollections  of  the  Mississippi  Yalley." 

Comparatively  very  little  of  the  writings  of 
the  authors  to  whom  trees  were  planted  in  "Au- 
thors' Grove,"  previous  to  this  year,  1884,  is 
adapted  to  children  in  the  lower  grades  of  our 
schools. 

Feeling  that  more  should  be  done  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  little  ones,  I  requested  Mr.  H.  P.  Skin- 
ner to  assist  me  in  making  out  a  list  of  authors 


132  ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY 

whose  works  the  teachers  of  the  district,  as  well  as 
those  of  the  intermediate  and  high  schools,  could 
judiciously  recommend  their  pupils  to  read,  and  to 
whom  the  schools  would  be  justified  in  planting  and 
dedicating  trees  in  '  'Authors'  Grove. ' '  The  names 
of  the  authors  thus  selected,  with  others,  appear 
above.  The  list,  though  by  no  means  complete,  is 
certainly  suggestive  of  the  great  amount  of  good  lit- 
erature that  has  been  written  for  young  folks  in  this 
country.  The  works  of  all  these  authors  are  acces- 
sible to  the  pupils  through  our  Public  Library,  and 
would  be  taken  out  and  read  and  re-read  by  the 
children,  if  the  teachers  would  take  a  little  time 
and  pains  to  acquaint  them  with  the  titles  and  con- 
tents of  these  books,  and  familiarize  them  with  the 
names  of  the  authors.  (Fifty -fifth  Annual  Report.) 

THE  SCHOOL   CELEBRATION   OF   1885   HELD   IN 
THE  SCHOOLHOUSES 

Early  in  1885,  articles  began  to  appear  in  the 
public  press  attacking  the  "Cincinnati  Plan"  of 
celebrating  "Arbor-day"  by  saying  that  there  is 
too  much  sentiment  in  it ;  that  what  is  wanted  is 
not  "sentimental  forestry,"  but  "practical  tree- 
planting."  "Arbor-day"  of  this  year  fell  on 
April  24th,  six  days  earlier  than  in  the  year  pre- 
vious— too  early,  I  feared,  to  make  it  advisable  to 
take  the  children  into  the  Park ;  and  as  the  advo- 


ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY  133 

cates  of  Bo-called  "practical"  tree-planting  were 
unwilling  to  have  the  celebration  postponed  to  a 
later  date,  I  decided  that,  rather  than  to  have  two 
separate  celebrations  in  Eden  Park  in  the  same 
year,  it  would  be  better  to  hold  the  school  celebra- 
tions in  the  schoolhouses  or  upon  the  school- 
grounds,  but  left  the  principals  free  to  take  their 
pupils  into  the  Park  on  * 'Arbor-day"  if  they  so 
desired.  The  Eleventh  and  the  Fourth  District 
Schools  did  so,  but  the  remaining  schools  celebrated 
the  day  in  their  respective  schoolhouses  and  school- 
yards. This  gave  the  opponents  of  our  plan  of 
celebrating  "  Arbor-day  "  an  excellent  opportunity 
to  see  what  they  could  do  to  interest  the  people  and 
make  their  part  of  the  celebration  a  success.  They 
tried  it.  The  result  was  a  failure.  The  few  hundred 
people  who  went  to  the  Park  took  little  or  no  interest 
in  "practical  tree-planting."  Why  should  they? 
They  knew  that  there  were  already  too  many  trees  in 
the  Park ;  that  it  would  be  far  more  practical  to  cut 
out  many  that  were  there  than  to  plant  others ;  and 
in  the  actual  planting  of  trees,  our  city  people  took 
little  more  interest  than  they  would  have  taken  in 
the  setting  of  a  post.  From  that  day  to  this,  I 
have  never  heard  a  word  against  "the  Cincinnati 
Plan"  of  celebrating  "Arbor-day,"  nor  have  I 
ever  known  of  a  second  attempt  to  publicly  cele- 
brate * '  Arbor-day  "  by  "  practical  tree-planting ' ' 
in  Eden  Park  or  elsewhere  in  the  State,  although 


134  ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY 

there  have  been  a  dozen  Arbor-days  since  that 
date. 

In  1885,  as  above  stated,  the  "Arbor-day  "  cel- 
ebration by  the  schools  took  place  in  the  school- 
houses  and  upon  school-grounds;  but  in  1886  the 
children  again  went  to  the  Park,  and  a  grand  Tree 
Festival  was  held  in  '  'Authors'  Grove, ' '  but  on  the 
first  Friday  in  May,  as  bad  weather  had  made  it 
unadvisable  to  take  the  children  to  the  Park  on 
"Arbor-day." 

Since  my  retirement  from  the  superintendeney, 
u  Arbor-day  "  has  been  celebrated  annually  by  the 
schools,  but  invariably  in  schoolhouses,  as  in  1885. 

CELEBRATIONS  AROUND  THE  TREES  MORE 
EFFECTIVE 

But  tree  celebrations  held  within  the  walls  of 
schoolrooms,  although  they  are  to  be  highly  com- 
mended, are  neither  so  attractive  nor  impressive  as 
tree  festivals  held  in  the  free  air  around  the  beau- 
tiful trees  themselves ;  and  yet  the  custom  of  hold- 
ing ' '  Arbor-day ' '  celebrations  within  doors  is  be- 
coming yearly  more  universal.  This  is  chiefly  due 
to  the  fact  that  the  days  designated  by  the  governors 
of  the  States  are  usually  a  little  too  late  in  the 
spring  to  plant  trees,  and  not  late  enough  to  make 
it  safe  to  take  children  into  the  parks  and  groves, 
where,  after  the  celebration  exercises  are  over,  they 
may  enjoy  themselves  on  the  greensward. 


ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY  135 

As  it  now  is,  comparatively  few  schools  in  the 
State  celebrate  '  'Arbor-day, ' '  and  the  most  of  those 
that  do,  do  it  in  the  school-buildings ;  and  as  the 
day  is  scarcely  observed  at  all  outside  of  the  schools, 
I  recommend  to  the  Legislature  of  Ohio  the  im- 
portance of  authorizing  the  governor  to  designate 
the  first  or  second  Friday  in  May  as  Tree-Festival 
Day — or  "Arbor-day" — and  to  call  upon  the 
schools  and  citizens  generally  to  observe  the  day. 

Why  should  not  such  a  day  become  as  popular 
in  Ohio  as  "May-day"  in  England?  My  experi- 
ence leads  me  to  believe  that  it  would. 


EXTRACTS  FROM  ADDRESSES 

Having  completed  this  article  as  far  as  it  espe- 
cially relates  to  the  celebration  of  "Arbor-day  "  in 
the  Cincinnati  public  schools,  I  now  present  as  sup- 
plementary thereto  a  few  extracts  from  an  address 
entitled  ' '  School  Celebration  of  Arbor-day, ' '  read 
before  the  Superintendents'  Section  of  the  Na- 
tional Educational  Association,  in  Washington, 
D.  C.,  in  1884,  and  from  one  entitled  "Tree- 
planting  and  Arbor-day  Celebrations,"  delivered 
before  the  Wisconsin  Horticultural  Society,  in 
Madison,  Wisconsin,  in  1889. 


136  ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY 


TREE-PLANTING  AND  FORESTRY  IN  GERMANY 

First  and  foremost  of  all  nations  of  the  earth 
in  this  great  work  stands  Germany.  "  The  prog- 
ress made  by  Germany  in  tree-planting,"  says 
Mr.  Phipps,  of  Canada,  the  renowned  writer  on 
forestry,  "is  but  a  part  of  her  general  progress. 
The  credit  is  given  to  the  Great  Frederick.  It 
was  part  of  the  national  policy  of  his  day  which 
raised  Prussia  from  a  small  power  to  a  great  one ; 
and  to  the  energetic  continuation  of  that  policy, 
Germany  owes  Sadowa  and  Sedan.  By  this  fore- 
sight, vast  armies  have  been  maintained  where  once 
the  scanty  deserts  would  not  nourish  a  flock  of  goats, 
and  successive  regiments  of  hardy  soldiers  have 
poured  forth  from  a  fertile  soil  where,  two  hundred 
years  ago,  the  rugged  debris  of  winter  torrents,  the 
thorn  and  the  thistle,  overspread  a  thirsty  and  im- 
poverished land. ' ' 

Germany  to-day  presents  not  only  a  model  of 
systematically  planting  thousands  of  acres  of  trees, 
but  an  admirable  system  of  forest  management. 
"Here  forest  culture,"  says  the  Encyclopaedia 
Britannica,  "is  almost  as  carefully  conducted  as 
field  tillage." 

In  Prussia  alone  there  are  ten  million  acres 
of  forests  directly  under  State  management.  The 
State  forests  are  divided  into  periods  and  blocks, 


ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY  137 

and  as  year  by  year  certain  periods  end,  the  forests 
are  cut.  The  land,  where  desirable,  is  then  de- 
voted to  agriculture  for  a  few  years,  after  which  it 
is  again  planted  with  trees ;  but  where  it  is  not  fitted 
for  agricultural  purposes,  it  is  kept  continually  in 
forests  by  taking  care  that  there  is  a  good  stock  of 
self-sown  trees  before  the  old  crop  is  entirely  re- 
moved. The  annual  income  of  these  forests  is  $14,  - 
000,000,  and,  after  paying  all  expenses,  including 
the  salaries  of  3,784  foresters  (officers  and  over- 
seers) and  the  wages  of  thousands  of  laborers,  there 
is  left  a  net  profit  of  $6,500,000.  In  Saxony  there 
are  four  hundred  thousand  acres  of  State  forests, 
yielding  a  profit  of  $1,250,000  annually;  in  Ba- 
varia, three  million  acres,  worked  by  the  State  at 
a  profit  of  $4,500,000 ;  and  so  on  throughout  the 
German  Empire.  But  the  profits  of  forest  culture, 
large  as  they  are,  are  of  little  importance  in  com- 
parison with  all  the  other  benefits  which  Germany 
derives  from  her  forests.  Nearly  every  country  of 
Europe  has  large  areas  in  systematically-planted 
forests  under  the  direct  control  of  the  Government. 
Besides,  the  importance  of  forestry  has  led  each  of 
the  following  countries — Italy,  Denmark,  Austria, 
Germany,  France,  Russia — to  maintain  one  or 
more  schools  of  forestry,  with  great  experimental 
stations  attached,  where  young  men  are  educated 
in  the  science  of  forest  culture. 


138  ORIGIN   OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY 


PUBLIC  SENTIMENT  MUST  BE  CREATED 

But,  you  say,  these  countries  have  monarchical 
forms  of  government.  The  few  have  absolute 
power,  and  are  therefore  able  to  make  the  neces- 
sary provisions  for  the  restoration  and  conservation 
of  forests;  but  in  a  republic  the  people  are  the 
source  of  authority,  and  as  they  do  not  see  the 
dangers  that  threaten  them,  the  necessary  legisla- 
tion can  not  be  had.  You  are  right.  Laws  will 
not  be  enacted  in  advance  of  the  general  sentiment 
of  the  people.  What  must  be  done?  Educate 
the  people.  Impress  the  people  with  the  great  im- 
portance of  the  subject.  The  time  has  come  when 
the  people  must  be  awakened  to  the  importance  of 
preserving  the  forests  and  of  planting  trees ;  for 
many  parts  of  our  country  are  now  suffering  the 
terrible  consequences  of  this  neglect.  ' '  The  wealth, 
beauty,  and  healthf ulness  of  the  country, ' '  as  Whit- 
tier  justly  says,  ' '  largely  depend  upon  the  conserva- 
tion of  our  forests  and  the  planting  of  trees." 
How  can  these  truths  be  impressed  most  effectively 
upon  the  minds  of  our  people?  In  the  first  place, 
forestry  associations  should  be  organized  in  every 
city,  town,  village,  and  school  district  in  the  coun- 
try, whose  object  shall  be  to  plant  trees  along  the 
streets,  by  the  roadsides,  in  parks  and  commons, 
around  public  buildings,  in  waste  places;  to  dis- 


ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY  139 

tribute  information  in  regard  to  trees  and  forestry 
among  the  people ;  and  to  encourage  tree-planting 
in  every  way  possible.  These  associations,  in  con- 
junction with  the  public  schools  should  hold  tree 
festivals  or  ' '  Arbor-day  ' '  celebrations. 

The  schools  are  thoroughly  organized,  and  or- 
ganization assures  success  of  the  celebrations ;  and 
as  parents,  relatives,  and  friends,  indeed  every- 
body, is  interested  in  the  exercises  of  the  children, 
so  the  whole  community  is  awakened.  Again, 
there  is  nothing  truer  than  the  old  German  prov- 
erb, "What  you  would  have  appear  in  the  nation's 
life,  you  must  first  introduce  into  the  public 
schools. ' ' 

LET  MEMORIAL  GROVES  BE  PLANTED 

The  most  important  thing  to  be  gained  by  the 
celebrations  is  not  the  number  of  trees  planted, 
but  the  instilling  into  the  minds  of  children  and 
older  persons  correct  sentiments  in  regard  to  trees, 
and  to  the  storing  their  minds  with  informa- 
tion relating  to  trees  and  forests,  and  to  the  dis- 
tinguished persons  in  whose  honor  and  memory 
each  tree  or  group  is  planted  and  dedicated ;  for 
I  would  have  all  the  trees  around  which  the  cele- 
brations take  place  dedicated  to  great  authors, 
statesmen,  soldiers — in  brief,  to  famous  men  and 
women,  whose  lives  have  reflected  honor  upon  our 


140  ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY 

country ;  to  the  pioneers  and  distinguished  citizens 
of  each  township,  village,  or  city ;  and  thus  ' '  make 
trees,"  as  Holmes  says,  "monuments  of  history 
and  character."  In  every  city  and  town,  where 
sufficient  ground  can  be  obtained,  either  in  public 
parks  or  elsewhere,  I  would  have  memorial  groves 
planted,  and  the  "Arbor-day"  or  tree-festival  exer- 
cises take  place  in  them.  Let  there  be  a  "  Pioneers' 
Grove,"  in  which  all  citizens,  young  and  old,  shall 
annually  join  in  paying  just  tribute  to  the  memory 
of  those  who  endured  the  hardships  and  priva- 
tions of  a  pioneer  life. 

"  They  vanish  from  us,  one  by  one, 

In  death's  unlighted  realm  to  sleep ; 
And  O !  degenerate  is  the  son 
"Who" would  not  some  memorial  keep !" 

Let  there  be  an  "  Authors'  Grove, ' '  in  which 
the  school  children  shall  honor,  by  living  monu- 
ments, the  great  men  and  women  in  literature,  so 
that,  while  they  learn  to  love  and  care  for  trees, 
they  will  at  the  same  time  become  interested  in  the 
lives  and  writings  of  distinguished  and  worthy  au- 
thors. Let  there  be  a  "Soldiers'  Grove,"  de- 
voted to  the  memory  of  our  patriotic  dead.  Yes, 

Plant  beautiful  trees  in  name  of  those 

Whose  memory  you  revere ; 
More  beautiful  still  will  they  become 

With  each  revolving  year. 


ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY  141 


TREE  MONUMENTS 

Have  you  never  thought  what  monuments  the 
trees,  monarchs  of  the  vegetable  world,  become? 
They  are  more  durable  than  marble  itself.  Their 
grandeur  will  challenge  the  admiration  of  the  be- 
holders when  the  coeval  marble  monument  at  their 
base  will  lie  in  ruins,  defaced  by  age  and  crum- 
bling into  dust.  Think  of  it !  The  life  of  an  oak 
is  two  thousand  years;  that  of  the  elm,  from 
three  hundred  and  fifty  to  five  hundred  years, — 
and  there  are  living  to  day,  trees  whose  age  is  esti- 
mated at  more  than  five  thousand  years;  while 
marble,  exposed  to  air  and  water,  and  subject  to 
the  changes  of  heat  and  cold,  scarcely  holds  its 
own  a  generation,  and  frequently  crumbles  to  pieces 
in  seventy  years.  Well  may  the  great  historian, 
Benson  J.  Lossing,  say :  ' '  What  conqueror  in  any 
part  of  life's  broad  field  of  battle  could  desire  a 
more  beautiful,  a  more  noble,  a  more  patriotic 
monument  than  a  tree,  planted  by  joyous  children 
as  a  memorial  of  his  achievements?  What  ear- 
nest, honest  worker,  with  hand  and  brain  for  the 
benefit  of  his  fellow-men,  could  desire  a  more  pleas- 
ing recognition  of  their  usefulness  than  such  a 
monument,  a  symbol  of  his  or  her  own  production, 
ever  growing,  ever  blooming,  and  ever  bearing 
wholesome  fruit?"  (See  letter.) 


142  ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY 


CELEBRATIONS  WOULD  LEAD  TO  BEAUTIFYING 
OUR  CITIES  AND  TOWNS 

Have  you  never  thought  how  our  homes,  our 
villages,  our  towns  and  cities,  are  enriched  and 
beautified  by  trees?  We  are  to-night  in  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  little  cities  (Madison,  Wisconsin)  on 
the  continent  of  America.  What  has  made  it  so? 
I  need  not  answer  that  question.  It  is  on  the 
tongue  of  every  member  of  this  audience— the 
trees!  Who  can  visit  Detroit  in  summer  with- 
out exclaiming,  "  O,  how  beautiful !"  What  has 
made  it  so?  The  trees!  Trees  not  only  beautify 
our  homes  and  make  them  more  healthful,  attract- 
ive, and  valuable,  but  they  indicate  refinement,  en- 
terprise, and  culture. 

Should  the  celebration  of  planting  memorial 
trees  become  general  in  our  country,  the  time 
would  not  be  far  distant  when  such  a  public  senti- 
ment would  be  formed  as  would  lead  to  beautify- 
ing, by  trees,  of  every  city,  town,  and  village  in 
the  United  States,  as  well  as  the  public  highways, 
church  and  school  grounds,  and  the  homes  of  the 
people  in  the  country.  In  truth,  within  the  next 
twenty -five  years  the  general  aspect  of  many  parts 
of  our  country  would  be  changed,  as  have  been 
many  places  in  the  State  of  Connecticut,  through 
the  efforts  of  Dr.  B.  G.  Northrop.  Pastor  Ober- 


ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY  143 

lin,  after  whom  Oberlin  College,  in  Ohio,  is  named, 
required  each  boy  and  girl,  before  he  would  ad- 
minister the  ordinance  of  confirmation,  to  bring  a 
certificate  that  he  or  she  had  planted  two  trees. 
If  but  the  youth  of  our  country  could  be  led  to 
plant  their  two  trees  each,  how,  by  the  children 
alone,  could  our  country  be  enriched  and  beautified 
in  the  next  fifty  years ! 

TREE-PLANTING  FOSTERS  A  LOVE  FOR  TREES 
AND  TREE-CULTURE 

The  trees  which  children  plant  will  become 
dearer  to  them  as  year  after  year  rolls  on.  As  the 
trees  grow  and  their  branches  expand  in  beauty, 
BO  will  the  lore  of  them  increase  in  the  hearts  of 
those  by  whom  they  were  planted  and  watched 
over  in  youth ;  and  long  before  the  children  reach 
old  age  they  will  almost  venerate  these  green  and 
living  memorials  of  youthful  and  happy  days,  and 
as  those  who  have  loved  and  cared  for  pets  will 
ever  be  the  friends  of  our  dumb  animals,  so  they 
will  ever  be  the  friends  of  our  forest-trees.  From 
the  individual  to  the  general,  is  the  law  of  our  na- 
ture. Show  me  a  man  who  in  childhood  had  a  pet, 
and  I  '11  show  you  a  lover  of  animals.  Show  me  a 
person  who  in  youth  planted  a  tree  that  has  lived 
and  flourished,  and  I  '11  show  you  a  frierfd  of  trees 
and  of  forest-culture. 


144  ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY 

In  this  I  speak  from  personal  experience.  The 
pets  I  had  when  a  child  made  me  a  lover  of  ani- 
mals. The  trees  I  planted  and  cared  for  in  youth, 
made  me  a  friend  of  trees  and  of  forest-culture. 

THE  GARY  TREE 

In  1832,  when  Alice  was  twelve  years  old,  and 
Phoebe  only  eight,  as  these  little  girls  were  return- 
ing home  from  school  one  day,  they  found  a  small 
tree,  which  a  farmer  had  grubbed  up  and  thrown 
into  the  road.  One  of  them  picked  it  up,  and 
said  to  the  other,  ' '  Let  us  plant  it. ' '  As  soon  as 
saidr  these  happy  children  ran  to  the  opposite  side 
of  the  road,  and  with  sticks — for  they  had  no 
other  implements — they  dug  out  the  earth,  and  in 
the  hole  thus  made  they  placed  the  treelet ;  around  it, 
with  their  tiny  hands,  they  drew  the  loosened  med, 
and  pressed  it  down  with  their  little  feet.  With 
what  interest  they  hastened  to  it  on  their  way  to  and 
from  school,  to  see  if  it  were  growing ;  and  how  they 
clapped  their  little  hands  for  joy  when  they  saw 
the  buds  start  and  the  leaves  begin  to  form ;  with 
what  delight  did  they  watch  it  grow  through  the 
sunny  days  of  summer;  with  what  anxiety  did 
they  await  its  fate  through  the  storms  of  winter, 
and  when  at  last  the  long-looked  for  spring  came, 
with  what  feelings  of  mingled  hope  and  fear  did 
they  seek  again  their  favorite  tree  1 


ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY  145 

But  I  must  not  pursue  the  subject  further.  It 
is  enough  to  know  that,  when  these  two  sisters  grew 
to  womanhood  and  removed  to  New  York  City, 
they  never  returned  to  their  old  home  without  pay- 
ing a  visit  to  the  tree  that  they  had  planted,  and 
that  was  scarcely  less  dear  to  them  than  the  friends 
of  their  childhood  days.  They  planted  and  cared 
for  it  in  youth ;  they  loved  it  in  age.  The  tree  is 
the  large  and  beautiful  sycamore  which  one  sees  in 
passing  along  the  Hamilton  turnpike  from  College 
Fill  to  Mt.  Pleasant,  Hamilton  County,  Ohio. 

OLD  LIBERTY  ELM 

It  was  the  custom  of  our  New  England  ances- 
tors, in  the  early  settlement  of  our  country,  to 
plant  trees  and  dedicate  them  to  liberty.  Many  of 
these  liberty  trees,  consecrated  by  our  forefathers, 
are  still  standing.  I  remember,  when  a  boy,  the 
interest  I  felt  in  "Old  Liberty  Elm,"  that  then 
stood  in  Boston.  That  old  tree  was  planted  by  a 
schoolmaster  long  before  the  Revolutionary  "War, 
and  dedicated  by  him  to  the  independence  of  the 
Colonies.  Around  that  tree,  before  the  Revolution, 
the  citizens  of  Boston  used  to  gather  to  listen  to 
the  advocates  of  our  country's  freedom;  around 
it,  during  the  war,  they  met  to  offer  up  thanks  and 
supplications  to  Almighty  God  for  the  success  of 
the  patriot  armies ;  and  after  the  terrible  struggle 
10 


146  ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY 

had  ended,  the  people  were  wont  to  assemble  from 
year  to  year  in  the  shadow  of  that  old  tree,  to 
celebrate  the  liberty  and  independence  of  our  coun- 
try. It  stood  there  till  within  a  few  years,  a  liv- 
ing monument  of  the  patriotism  of  the  citizens  of 
Boston.  The  sight  of  that  tree  awakened  patriotic 
emotions  in  every  true  American  heart ;  and  when 
at  last  that  old  tree  fell,  the  bells  in  all  the  churches 
of  Boston  were  tolled,  and  a  feeling  of  sadness  spread 
over  city  and  State.  Even  in  Ohio,  there  were 
eyes  that  moistened  with  tears  when  the  news  came 
that  ' '  Old  Liberty  Elm ' '  had  fallen  in  a  storm. 
Such  was  the  veneration  in  which  it  was  held. 

WASHINGTON  ELM 

Another  of  these  "Liberty  Elms"  now  stands 
in  Cambridge,  Mass.  Under  the  shade  of  this 
venerable  tree,  Washington  first  took  command 
of  the  Continental  army,  July  3,  1775.  How  the 
affection  of  every  lover  of  his  country  clings  around 
that  tree !  What  care  has  been  taken  of  it,  what 
marks  of  esteem  have  been  shown  it  by  the  citi- 
zens of  Cambridge,  may  be  judged  by  those  who 
have  seen  it  standing,  as  it  does,  in  the  center  of  a 
great  public  thoroughfare,  its  trunk  protected  by 
an  iron  fence  from  injury  from  passing  vehicles, 
which,  for  more  than  a  century,  have  turned  out 
in  deference  to  this  monarch  of  the  Revolution. 


WASHINGTON  ELM,  CAMBRIDGE,  MASS. 


ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY  147 


"WOODMAN,  SPARE  THAT  TREE" 

In  looking  up  material  for  the  already  men- 
tioned pamphlet  on  "  Trees  and  Tree-planting,"  I 
unexpectedly  ran  across  a  volume  in  the  Public  Li- 
brary containing  a  copy  of  the  letter  of  General 
George  P.  Morris  to  a  friend,  dated  New  York 
City,  February  1,  1837,  in  which  the  author  gives 
a  minute  account  of  how  he  came  to  write  the 
poem. 

The  poem  is  one  that  had  been  extensively  used 
in  the  preceding  "Arbor-day"  celebrations,  and  had 
become  a  great  favorite  in  the  schools,  on  account 
of  the  sentiments  it  contains,  and  the  simple  and  at- 
tractive style  in  which  it  is  written,  and  as  the 
author's  explanation  throws  light  upon  the  poem, 
and  gives  to  it  an  added  interest,  I  wrote  out  the 
substance  of  the  letter  and  published  it  for  the 
schools. 

The  verses,  together  with  the  history  of  their 
origin,  are  reproduced  here  as  a  fitting  conclusion  of 
this  article,  for  they  express,  in  a  touching  and 
pleasing  manner,  the  sentiments  I  have  endeavored 
to  inculcate  by  it. 

The  substance  of  the  letter  is  as  follows :  Rid- 
ing out  of  town  a  few  days  since,  in  company  with 
a  friend,  an  old  gentleman,  who  had  spent  many 
years  in  travel  in  foreign  countries,  he  invited 


148  ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY 

me  to  turn  down  a  little  woodland  pass,  not  far 
from  Bloomingdale.  "Your  object?"  inquired  I. 
"Merely  to  look  once  more  at  an  old  oak  tree 
planted  by  my  grandfather  long  before  I  was  born, 
under  which  I  used  to  play  when  a  boy,  and  where 
my  sisters  played  with  me.  There  I  often  listened 
to  the  good  advice  of  my  parents.  Father,  mother, 
sisters — all  are  gone ;  nothing  but  the  old  tree  re- 
mains ; ' '  and  a  paleness  spread  over  his  fine  counte- 
nance, and  tears  came  to  his  eyes.  After  a  moment's 
pause,  he  added:  "Don't  think  me  foolish;  I 
do  n't  know  how  it  is,  I  never  ride  out  but  I  turn 
down  this  lane  to  look  at  that  old  tree.  I  have  a 
thousand  recollections  about  it,  and  I  always  greet  it 
as  a  familiar  and  well-remembered  friend. ' '  These 
words  were  scarcely  utttered  when  the  old  gentle- 
man cried  out,  "There  it  is."  Near  the  tree 
stood  a  man  with  his  coat  off,  sharpening  an  ax. 
"  You  're  not  going  to  cut  that  tree  down,  surely. " 
"Yes,  but  I  am,  though,"  said  the  woodman. 
"What for?"  inquired  the  old  gentleman  with 
choked  emotion.  "What  for?  I  like  that.  Well, 
I  tell  you,  I  want  the  tree  for  firewood."  "What 
is  the  tree  worth  to  you  for  firewood?"  "  Why, 
when  down,  about  $10."  "Suppose  I  should 
give  you  that  sum, ' '  said  the  old  gentleman,  * '  would 
you  let  it  stand?"  "Yes."  "You  are  sure  of 
that?' '  ' '  Positive. "  "  Then  give  me  a  bond  to 
that  effect. ' '  We  went  into  the  little  cottage  in 


ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY  149 

which  my  companion  was  born,  and  which  is  now 
occupied  by  the  woodman.  I  drew  up  the  bond. 
It  wajs  signed,  and  the  money  paid  over.  As  we 
left,  the  young  girl,  the  daughter  of  the  woodman, 
assured  us  that  while  she  lived  the  tree  should 
not  be  cut.  These  circumstances  made  a  strong 
impression  on  my  mind,  and  furnished  me  with  the 
materials  for  the  song  I  send  you : 

Woodman,  spare  that  tree ! 

Touch  not  a  single  bough ! 
In  youth  it  sheltered  me, 

And  I  '11  protect  it  now. 
'T  was  my  forefather's  hand 

That  placed  it  near  his  cot ; 
There,  woodman,  let  it  stand; 

Thy  ax  shall  harm  it  not  I 

That  old  familiar  tree, 

"Whose  glory  and  renown 
Are  spread  o'er  land  and  sea, 

And  wouldst  thou  hew  it  down? 
Woodman,  forbear  thy  stroke  1 

Cut  not  its  earth-bound  ties ; 
O,  spare  that  aged  oak, 

Now  towering  to  the  skies ! 

When  but  an  idle  boy, 

I  sought  its  grateful  shade ; 
In  all  their  gushing  joy, 

Here,  too,  my  sisters  played 
My  mother  kissed  me  here ; 

My  father  pressed  my  hand — 
Forgive  this  foolish  tear, 

But  let  that  old  oak  stand. 


150  ORIGIN  OF  SCHOOL  ARBOR-DAY 

My  heart-strings  round  thee  cling, 

Close  as  thy  bark,  old  friend ; 
Here  shall  the  wild-bird  sing, 

And  still  thy  branches  bend. 
Old  tree !  the  storm  still  brave ! 

And  woodman,  leave  the  spot ; 
While  I  've  a  hand  to  save, 

Thy  ax  shall  harm  it  not. 


Decorated  Manuscripts  of  Amer- 
ican Authors 


161 


DECOKATED   MAKUSCKIPTS   OF  AMEK- 
ICAIsr  AUTHOKS 

PEKHAPS  no  more  important  addition  to  works 
of  art  has  been  made  in  this  country  during 
the  past  year  (1884)  than  that  of  the  Decorated 
Manuscripts  of  American  Authors,  for  the  Twenty- 
fourth  District  School  of  Cincinnati. 

These  manuscripts,  consisting  of  original  poems, 
letters,  and  other  prose  writings,  of  twelve  of  our 
authors — Bryant,  Lowell,  Prescott,  Emerson,  Haw- 
thorne, Longfellow,  Holmes,  Whittier,  Willis, 
Agassiz,  James  T.  Fields,  and  Mrs.  Annie  Fields — 
have  been  exquisitely  decorated  by  the  artist,  E.  D. 
Grafton,  of  this  city.  In  order  not  to  distract  at- 
tention from,  but  to  call  attention  to,  the  auto- 
graphs, the  artist  had  made  deep  mats,  containing 
beveled-edged  openings,  behind  which  the  manu- 
scripts are  placed.  The  decorations  are  all  on  the 
white  surface  of  the  mats  surrounding  the  manu- 
scripts. "They  are,"  says  a  distinguished  artist, 
"the  most  unique  and  beautiful  thoughts  of  the 
kind  I  have  ever  seen ;  not  illustrating  any  of  the 
text — for  that,  in  this  case,  would  be  impossible — 

153 


154  DECORATED  MANUSCRIPTS 

but  simply  adding  truthful  portraiture  and  land- 
scape attractions,  such  as  may  properly  belong  to 
each,  together  with  such  floral  and  arabesque  orna- 
mentation as  the  artist's  pencil  suggested."  It  is 
impossible  to  give  any  description  that  would  con- 
vey to  the  reader  a  true  idea  of  the  originality  of 
design  and  beauty  of  execution  of  these  works  of 
art.  In  the  language  of  another,  "They  are 
Grqftonesque,  and  when  we  say  that,  we  say  that 
they  are  the  embodiment  of  beauty,  as  is  every- 
thing that  comes  from  his  hand. ' ' 

So  important  do  I  consider  these  autographs 
and  manuscripts  that  a  brief  history  of  them  is 
given  here,  that  future  generations  of  our  youth 
may  know  how  these  valuable  gifts  came  into  their 
possession. 

In  the  spring  of  1882,  after  I  had  decided  to 
have  the  schools  plant  a  grove  of  forest  trees  in 
Eden  Park  on  "Arbor-day,"  in  honor  and  memory 
of  American  authors,  the  several  principals  were 
called  together  to  make  their  selections  of  authors. 
Principal  K.  C.  Yowell,  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Dis- 
trict School,  selected  James  T.  Fields,  and  that  school 
planted  and  dedicated  a  group  of  beautiful  oaks  in 
the  poet's  memory  on  "Arbor-day,"  April  27, 
1882,  and,  on  the  first  anniversary  of  the  day, 
designated  the  group  by  a  granite  "marker."  In 
gratitude  to  the  school  that  thus  honored  the  mem- 
ory of  her  late  husband,  Mrs.  Fields  sent  me,  a 


DECORATED  MANUSCRIPTS  155 

few  days  previous  to  the  anniversary  celebration, 
copies  of  manuscripts  and  autographs  of  a  number 
of  our  leading  American  authors,  neatly  mounted 
on  card-board,  and  accompanied  them  with  the  fol- 
lowing letter : 

148  CHARLES  STREET,  BOSTON. 

To  JOHN  B.  PEASLEE,  Superintendent  of  Public  Schools, 
Cincinnati : 

Dear  Sir, — Will  you  do  me  the  favor  to  present  the 
autographs  accompanying  this  note  to  the  Twenty-fourth 
District  School,  in  memory  of  James  T.  Fields,  on  the 
first  anniversary  of  "Arbor-day?"  I  hope  they  maybe 
hung,  by  and  by,  in  the  district  schoolhouse,  or  in  some 
other  appropriate  place,  where,  long  after  the  present 
class  has  graduated,  they  will  interest  new  generations 
to  read  and  know  something  more  of  the  lives  of  these 
good  men,  whose  names  may  thus  be  held  continually  be- 
fore them.  Respectfully,  ANNIE  FIELDS. 

The  manuscripts  were  presented  as  requested. 
Shortly  afterward  they  were  framed  by  the  school 
and  placed  on  exhibition  in  the  windows  of  Ste- 
vens' s  bookstore,  on  Fourth  Street,  and  with  them 
was  hung  a  poem  of  Thomas  Buchanan  Heed, 
beautifully  decorated  by  the  artist,  Mr.  E.  D. 
Grafton,  of  this  city.  "WTien  these  manuscripts 
were  thus  placed  side  by  side,  with  the  illuminated 
one  of  T.  Buchanan  Head,  it  was  thought  that 
these,  too,  should  be  presented  in  some  more  artistic 
form,  especially  embodying  the  likenesses  of  the 
authors. 

It  was  therefore  suggested  by  the  Cincinnati 


156  DECORATED  MANUSCRIPTS 

papers  that  Mr.  Grafton  should  be  employed  to  dec- 
orate these  manuscripts  in  a  similar  manner,  and 
that  it  would  be  a  worthy  and  magnanimous  thing 
for  some  one  of  our  wealthy  and  public-spirited 
citizens  to  set  Mr.  Grafton  to  work  on  them.  Dr. 
W.  H.  Tenable,  a  patron  of  this  school,  and  him- 
self an  author  of  reputation,  noticing  the  articles 
in  the  papers,  at  once  took  a  deep  interest  in  hav- 
ing the  work  done,  and  personally  called  Mr.  Lewis 
Yan  Antwerp's  attention  to  it.  Mr.  Van  Ant- 
werp, recognizing  the  beauty  and  appropriateness  of 
the  thought,  said :  "  It's  a  grand  idea,  and  Mr.  Graf  - 
ton  is  just  the  man  to  carry  it  out.  Go  and  tell  him 
to  begin  at  once,  and  I  '11  settle  the  bills. ' '  The  art- 
ist commenced  immediately,  and  worked  on  them, 
with  little  interruption,  for  nearly  a  year.  As  Mr. 
Grafton  completed  one  after  another,  Mr.  Ant- 
werp had  each  framed  in  carved  oak,  at  WiswelFs, 
and,  when  all  were  finished,  turned  them  over  to 
the  school.  The  school,  in  turn,  on  account  of 
their  great  value,  which  will  increase  as  year  after 
year  further  separates  them  from  authors  and  art- 
ist, gave  them  in  charge  of  the  Cincinnati  Art  Mu- 
seum Association,  to  be  placed  in  the  great  museum 
building,  which  is  now  (1884),  being  erected  in 
Eden  Park  in  sight  of  "Authors'  Grove."  There, 
it  is  to  be  hoped,  they  will  remain,  generation  after 
generation,  constant  reminders  to  the  youth  of  our 
pity  to  read  and  study  the  Jives  and,  writing  of  these 


DECORATED  MANUSCRIPTS  157 

great  authors  in  American  literature,  to  the  end  that 
they  may  grow  up  into  a  nobler  and  better  man- 
hood and  womanhood. 


LIST  OF  THE  MANUSCRIPTS 

WILLIAM  CULLEN  BRYANT. — A  letter  on  Span- 
ish art,  written  at  Madrid  for  publication. 

WILLIAM  HICKLING  PRESCOTT.  —  Noctograph 
manuscript  of  a  page  of  his  "History  of  the 
Keign  of  Philip  II  of  Spain." 

RALPH  WALDO  EMERSON. — A  poem  entitled 
"Nature." 

NATHANIEL  HAWTHORNE. — A  letter  to  Mr. 
Fields  concerning  the  publication  of  some  of  his 
(Hawthorne's)  writings. 

HENRY  WADSWORTH  LONGFELLOW. — A  poem 
entitled  "The  Serenade." 

LOTUS  AGASSIZ. — A  letter  to  Mrs.  Fields  in 
reference  to  a  course  of  lectures. 

JOHN  GREENLEAF  WHITTIER. — A  poem  entitled 
"The  Summons." 

OLIVER  WENDELL  HOLMES. — A  poem  entitled 
"Our  Oldest  Friend."  (Mr.  Graf  ton  obtained 
the  consent  of  Mrs.  Fields  to  substitute  for  the 
poem  of  Dr.  Holmes  the  letter  of  his  to  Mr.  Peas- 
lee,  dated  at  Boston,  Mass.,  March  18,  1883.  A 
copy  of  this  beautiful  letter  will  be  found  in  an- 
other part  of  this  volume.) 


158  DECORATED  MANUSCRIPTS 

JAMES  RUSSELL  LOWELL. — An  article  for  the 
Atlantic  on  the  death  of  Arthur  Hugh  Clough. 

NATHANIEL  PAKKER  WILLIS. — A  letter  to  Mr. 
Fields,  in  reference  to  the  publication  by  the  latter 
of  his  (Willis's)  letters  from  Central  Europe. 

JAMES  T.  FIELDS. — A  poem  entitled  "Ply- 
mouth." (1620.) 

MBS.  ANNIE  FIELDS. — Letter  of  presentation. 


Extracts  from    Lecture  on  Ohio 

Having  Special  Reference  to  the  Settle- 
ment and  Progress  of  Ohio,  the  Or- 
dinance of  Eighty-seven,  the 
Settlement  of  Gallipolis, 
and  General  George 
Rogers    Clark 


159 


EXTRACTS  FEOM  LECTURE  ON  OHIO 


FIRST  SETTLERS,  SOLDIERS  OF  THE  REVOLUTION 

AT  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  "War,  the 
Government  granted  to  the  soldiers  of  that  war 
bounty  lands  in  Ohio,  ranging  in  amounts  from 
one  hundred  acres  to  each  private  soldier  and  non- 
commissioned officer,  to  eleven  hundred  to  the 
highest  officer,  major-general.  In  1786  a  com- 
pany of  those  interested  in  the  Ohio  bounty  lands 
was  organized  in  Boston,  with  General  Rufus  Put- 
nam at  the  head.  Those  who  were  able  and  de- 
aired  to  go,  started  for  Ohio  in  the  spring  of  1788, 
and  landed  in  Marietta  on  the  7th  day  of  April  of 
that  year. 

The  first  settlers  of  Ohio  were  mostly  soldiers 
of  the  Revolution.  Some  were  descendants  of 
Revolutionary  patriots.  What  an  ancestry  I  Sol- 
diers of  the  Revolution,  founders  of  Ohio !  The 
heart  of  every  true  Ohioan  fills  with  pride  and  ad- 
miration at  the  thought. 
11  161 


162        EXTRACTS  FROM  LECTURE  ON  OHIO 


THE  ORDINANCE  OF  EIGHTY-SEVEN 

On  the  fourth  of  July  following  their  landing, 
the  Ordinance  of  Eighty-seven,14  the  most  impor- 
tant provisions  of  which  were  inspired  by  Thomas 
Jefferson,  the  author  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, was  publicly  read. 

This  document  was  the  Second  Declaration  of 
Independence,  the  consecrating  all  the  Northwest 
to  freedom.  It  gave  the  preponderance  of  power 
and  influence  to  the  North,  and  decided  that  the 
whole  country,  sooner  or  later,  was  to  be  the  home 
of  freedom. 

The  following  are  some  of  the  provisions  of 
this  wonderful  document : 

"  No  person,  demeaning  himself  in  a  peaceable  and 
orderly  manner,  shall  ever  be  molested  on  account  of  his 
mode  of  worship  or  religious  principles  in  said  Territory." 

"  The  inhabitants  of  said  Territory  shall  always  be  en- 
titled to  the  benefits  of  the  writ  of  Habeas  Corpus  and  trial 
by  jury,  and  of  judicial  proceedings  according  to  the  course 
of  common  law.  All  persons  shall  be  bailable,  unless  for 
capital  offenses,  where  the  proof  shall  be  evident  or  the 
presumption  great.  All  fines  shall  be  moderate,  and  no 
cruel  or  unusual  punishment  shall  be  inflicted.  No  per- 
son shall  be  deprived  of  his  liberty  or  property  but  by  the 
judgment  of  his  peers  or  the  law  of  the  land ;  .  .  . 
and  in  the  just  preservation  of  rights  and  property,  it  ia; 
understood  and  declared  that  no  law  ought  ever  to  be 
made,  or  have  force  in  said  Territory,  that  shall  in  any 
manner  whatever  interfere  with  private  contracts,  or  en- 
gagements, bonafide,  and  without  fraud." 


EXTRACTS  FROM  LECTURE  ON  OHIO         163 

"Religion,  morality,  and  knowledge,  being  necessary 
to  all  good  government  and  the  happiness  of  mankind, 
schools  and  means  of  education  shall  forever  be  encour- 
aged." 

"  Said  Territory,  and  the  States  which  may  be  formed 
therein,  shall  forever  remain  a  part  of  this  confederacy  of 
the  United  States." 

No  secession  here. 

"  There  shall  be  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servi- 
tude in  said  Territory,  otherwise  than  in  punishment  of 
crimes  whereof  the  party  shall  have  been  duly  convicted." 

My  fellow-citizens,  the  passage  by  Congress  of 
this  Ordinance  for  the  Government  of  the  North- 
west Territory,  which  provided  that  slavery  should 
be  forever  excluded  from  said  territory,  at  a  time 15 
when  slavery  existed  by  law  in  all  but  one  State 
of  the  Union;  which  provided  that  the  States 
formed  therein  shall  forever  remain  a  part  of  the 
Union,  and  was  directly  against  the  "right  of 
secession,"  the  question  that,  seventy  four  years 
afterwards,  took  the  great  Civil  War  to  settle, — 
is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  events  in  the  history 
of  the  world,  and  one  that  fills  me  with  wonder 
and  admiration. 

It  was  truly  the  Second  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence. 

It  was  the  star  of  liberty,  by  which  the  people 
of  the  Northwest  were  guided. 

It  was  the  Magna  Charta,  which  guaranteed 
security  and  equal  rights  to  all. 


164        EXTRACTS  FROM  LECTURE  ON  OHIO 

It  was  the  magnet  that  attracted  to  these  States 
millions  of  intelligent,  liberty -loving  people  from 
all  parts  of  this  'country  and  the  civilized  world. 

It  was  the  embodiment  of  the  conscience  of  the 
Nation  against  wrong,  oppression,  and  injustice, 
and  in  favor  of  manhood,  justice,  and  equal  rights 
for  all. 

When,  in  1799,  a  memorial  was  presented  by 
the  officers  of  the  Virginia  line  for  permission  to 
bring  their  slaves  on  the  military  bounty  lands  be- 
tween the  Scioto  and  the  Little  Miami,  how  proudly 
did  the  Legislature  of  the  Northwest  Territory  re- 
turn the  reply,  ' '  The  Ordinance  of  Eighty-seven, 
under  which  this  Territory  was  organized,  pro- 
hibits slavery ! ' ' 

Again,  are  you  not,  my  fellow-citizens,  filled 
with  pride  that  religious  persecutions  never  cursed 
Ohio  soil? 

All  were  protected  in  their  modes  of  worship 
and  in  their  religious  principles  in  this  Territory, 
the  Jew  and  the  Gentile,  the  Protestant  and  the 
Catholic — all  of  whatever  doctrine  or  creed.  When 
I  think  of  the  sufferings  caused  in  some  of  the  older 
States  of  the  Union  through  religious  intolerance 
and  fanaticism ;  when  I  call  to  mind  the  indignities 
heaped  upon  my  Quaker  ancestors  in  Massachu- 
setts, I  thank  my  God  that  I  am  a  citizen  of  a 
State  whose  soil  was  never  cursed  by  religious  in- 
tolerance and  persecution. 


EXTRACTS  FROM  LECTURE  ON  OHIO        165 


GROWTH  OF  THE  NORTHWESTERN  STATES 

Neither  history  nor  fiction  furnishes  a  parallel, 
outside  of  our  own  country,  to  the  growth  and 
progress  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan,  and 
Wisconsin,  the  States  carved  out  of  the  North- 
west Territory.  .  .  .  To-day  more  than  16,- 
000,000  people  live  within  their  borders;  and 
with  the  increase  of  population  the  industries  and 
attendant  development  of  human  life  and  society 
have  kept  pace. 

In  a  letter,16  in  answer  to  an  invitation  to  attend 
the  celebration  of  the  forty-seventh  anniversary  of 
the  first  settlement  of  Ohio,  in  Cincinnati,  April  T, 
1835,  that  master  of  classic  English,  Washington 
Irving,  in  a  style  only  equaled  in  beauty  and  gran- 
deur by  his  theme,  foretold  the  growth  and  pros- 
perity of  these  States.  He  said : 

"There  is  nothing  since  my  return  to  my  native  coun- 
try that  has  filled  my  mind  with  grander  anticipations  of 
its  destiny  than  the  sight  of  the  great  internal  States, 
which,  within  a  few  years,  have  sprung  from  primeval 
wilderness  into  prosperous  and  powerful  existence.  When 
I  consider  these  vast  regions  of  inexhaustible  fertility, 
deeply  embosomed  in  our  immense  continent,  and  watered 
by  mighty  lakes  and  rivers ;  when  I  picture  them  to  my- 
self as  they  soon  will  be,  peopled  by  millions  of  indus- 
trious, intelligent,  enterprising,  well-instructed,  and 
self-governed  freemen ;  blessed  by  a  generally-diffused 
competence;  brightening  with  innumerable  towns  and 


166        EXTRACTS  FROM  LECTURE  ON  OHIO 

cities,  the  marts  of  a  boundless  internal  commerce,  and 
the  seats  of  an  enlightened  civilization, — when  I  consider 
them  in  this  light,  I  regard  them  as  the  grand  and  safe 
depositories  of  the  strength  and  perpetuity  of  our  Union. 
There  lie  the  keys  of  empire ;  there  dwells  the  heart  of 
our  giant  Republic,  that  must  regulate  its  pulsations,  and 
send  the  vital  current  through  every  limb ;  there  must 
our  liberties  take  deepest  root,  and  find  their  purest 
nourishment;  there,  in  a  word,  may  we  look  for  the 
growth  of  a  real,  free-born,  home-bred  national  character 
of  which  our  posterity  may  be  proud." 

The  day  referred  to  by  Irving  has  come.  The 
millions  of  industrious,  intelligent,  enterprising, 
well-instructed,  and  self-governed  freemen  are 
here;  and  here,  too,  throbs  the  heart  of  our 
Giant  Republic,  and  surely  it  is  sending  the  vital 
current  through  every  limb,  every  part  of  our 
nation. 

At  the  head  of  these  States  is  Ohio.  She  is 
the  oldest,  and  sways  the  greatest  influence  over 
our  vast  country.  Ohio  has  done  more  in  direct- 
ing the  destinies  of  America  since  the  outbreak  of 
the  Civil  War  than  any  other  State  of  the  Union. 

So  prominent  has  our  State  become  in  the  coun- 
cils of  the  Nation  that  the  saying,  ' '  Another  Ohio 
man,"  has  become  a  byword  in  our  politics.  The 
' '  another  Ohio  idea ' '  has  furnished  thousands  of 
editorials  in  the  newspapers  and  public  journals  of 
our  country.  "Buckeye,"  once  a  term  of  re- 
proach, has  become  one  of  the  proudest  epithets  of 
an  American  citizen. 


EXTRACTS  FROM  LECTURE  ON  OHIO        167 


OHIO  THE  SOLDIER  STATE  OF  THE  UNION 

When  we  remember  that  from  Ohio  more  than 
310,000  fearless  men,  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  and  of  the  Ordinance 
of  Eighty-seven,  with  the  same  Jeffersonian  spirit 
that  animated  the  Revolutionary  pioneers  of  Ohio, 
left  their  happy  homes,  their  kindred  and  friends, 
to  suffer  hardships  and  privations,  and  often  death 
itself,  to  preserve  the  Union ;  when  we  bring  to 
mind  the  signal  services  performed  by  these  brave 
men  under  the  command  of  a  thousand  valiant 
Ohio  officers ;  when  we  consider  the  unparalleled 
benefits  rendered  our  country  by  the  great  generals 
who  were  either  natives  or  citizens  of  Ohio, — then 
can  we,  with  unwonted  pride  and  enthusiasm,  ex- 
claim, "  Glorious  Ohio,  thou  art,  indeed,  the  soldier 
State  of  the  Union  1" 


Having  endeavored  to  show  you  what,  in  my 
opinion,  the  Ordinance  of  Eighty-seven  was  to  the 
people  of  these  Northwestern  States,  and  what  it 
has  accomplished  for  them,  and  especially  for  Ohio, 
I  will  now  tell  you  what  that  wonderful  Ordinance 
is  to  the  whole  country. 

It  is  the  platform  upon  which  every  State  of 
our  Union  now  stands,  and  will  remain  so  till  the 


168         EXTRACTS  FROM  LECTURE  ON  OHIO 

last  vestige  of  civilization  is  swept  from  the  conti- 
nent of  America. 

It  is  the  platform  upon  which  will  stand  every 
republic  which  shall  hereafter  be  established  on  the 
globe;  for  all  its  provisions  are  the  embodiment 
of  enlightened  justice. 

Yes,  the  spirit  of  the  Ordinance  of  Eighty- 
seven  and  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  is 
"notched  in  our  eternal  hills,  stamped  on  our 
everlasting  plains,"  never  to  be  obliterated. 

All  hail  to  Thomas  Jefferson  and  his  associates, 
who  eternalized  Democracy ! 

Fellow-citizens,  I  now  call  your  attention  to 
our  whole  country — the  East  and  the  "West,  the 
North  and  the  South.  Each  and  every  section 
should  be  dear  to  us  all,  because  each  is  a  part  of 
our  glorious  Union,  which  takes  all,  and  nothing 
less  than  all,  to  make;  and  while  we  take  a  just 
pride  in  our  own  State,  let  us  feel  that  she  is  but  a 
part  of  that  grand  Union  of  States — Our  Cownbry. 


EXTRACTS  FROM  LECTURE  ON  OHIO        169 


SETTLEMENT  OF  GALLIPOLIS 

The  following  facts  in  regard  to  the  first  settle- 
ment of  Gallipolis  were  never  in  print  till  they  ap- 
peared in  an  article  prepared  by  me  for  a  publica- 
tion issued  by  the  students  of  Woodward  High 
School,  of  this  city,  about  twelve  years  ago.  They 
were  dug  out  of  a  pile  of  old  letters  by  the  late 
John  M.  Newton,  when  librarian  of  the  Mercantile 
Library  of  Cincinnati,  and  orally  communicated  to 
me  by  him.  The  account  is  especially  interesting 
because  the  hero  to  whom  they  refer  owned  and 
occupied  for  years  the  old  mansion  in  Cambridge, 
Mass.,  which  was  used  as  "Washington's  headquar- 
ters while  the  Revolutionary  army  was  stationed  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Boston,  and  which  afterwards 
became  the  home  of  the  poet  Longfellow.  Indeed, 
the  house  is  called  after  him,  the  ' '  Cragie  House. ' ' 

Cragie  held  the  position  of  "Apothecary  Gen- 
eral" in  the  Revolutionary  army — an  office  that 
was  abolished  long  ago — and  was  exceedingly  suc- 
cessful in  making  money  out  of  the  soldiers.  One 
historian,  in  speaking  of  the  distressed  condition 
of  the  Continental  soldiers  and  of  their  depriva- 
tions, makes  the  remark  that  ' '  the  only  thing  with 
which  the  Revolutionary  army  was  fully  supplied 
was  with  physic,  by  this  man  Cragie. ' ' 


170        EXTRACTS  FROM  LECTURE  ON  OHIO 

The  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  Revolution  were 
paid  partly  in  indentures,  so-called  on  account  of 
the  irregular  manner  in  which  one  of  the  edges  of 
the  paper  was  cut.  These  ' '  indents, ' '  as  the  peo- 
ple called  them,  fell  to  ten  cents  on  the  dollar. 
Cragie  conceived  the  idea  of  buying  them  up  and 
investing  them  in  public  lands  in  Ohio,  and  then 
selling  the  lands  to  people  of  foreign  countries  at 
less  than  the  Government  price.  He  thereupon 
formed  a  company  to  carry  out  his  scheme.  Agents 
were  sent  secretly  to  Paris  to  offer  public  lands  for 
sale  at  sixty-nine  cents  per  acre,  in  cash. 

The  company,  through  its  agents,  bound  itself 
to  bring  over  the  purchasers  and  their  families  and 
support  them  for  the  first  year,  when  they  were  to 
pay  back  to  the  company  the  cost  of  transporta- 
tion, etc. 

The  first  settlers  of  Gallipolis  were  the  French 
people  brought  over  and  located  by  the  Cragie 
Company.  But  after  the  first  shipload,  the 
Government  of  Holland  began  to  buy  up  these 
"indents"  which  caused  them  to  rise  in  value. 
The  company,  no  longer  able  to  carry  out  its 
contracts,  failed,  and,  as  it  happened,  just  as  the 
second  shipload  was  on  its  way  to  this  country. 
One  of  the  partners  died  in  a  debtor's  prison 
in  New  York  City,  and  Apothecary- General 
Cragie  died  not  long  after,  a  poor  man,  in  the 
"Cragie  House."  Mrs.  Cragie,  however,  lived 


EXTRACTS  FROM  LECTURE  ON  OHIO        171 

in  the  house  when  Mr.  Longfellow  first  went 
there  to  room.  I  shall  give,  by  way  of  diversion, 
a  little  incident  that  illustrates  the  character  of 
Mrs.  Cragie. 

One  fine  summer  day,  as  Professor  Longfellow, 
then  a  young  man,  came  into  the  house,  Mrs.  Cragie 
was  seated  on  the  broad  sill  of  an  open  window, 
reading  a  paper.  He  noticed  that  caterpillars  were 
crawling  upon  her  dress  and  over  her  shoulders, 
and  said :  ' '  Mrs.  Cragie,  do  you  see  the  cater- 
pillars on  you?"  The  old  lady  turned  toward  him 
and  replied:  "Young  man,  don't  you  know  that 
our  fellow- worms  have  as  much  right  to  live  as  we 
have?"  and  went  on  reading,  without  paying  any 
attention  to  the  caterpillars. 


172        EXTRACTS  FROM  LECTURE  ON  OHIO 


THE  fall  of  Fort  DuQuesne,  in  1758,  termi- 
nated the  French  Dominion  on  the  Ohio,  and  the 
Peace  of  Paris  in  1763,  closing  the  war  between 
France  and  England,  ended  the  French  Dominion 
in  North  America. 

Nothing  of  great  importance  occurred  in  Ohio, 
or  in  the  Northwest  Territory  of  which  Ohio  was  a 
part,  from  the  treaty  of  peace  of  1763  to  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  Revolutionary  War.  The  series  of 
French  forts  extending  from  Detroit  to  where  Pitts- 
burg  now  stands,  was  in  the  hands  of  the  English 
at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  and  was  made  use  of 
in  inciting  the  Indians  against  the  Colonists.  The 
military  posts  at  Detroit,  Kaskaskia,  and  St.  Yin- 
cents  were  constant  objects  of  Indian  hostilities. 

In  1778  an  expedition  was  fitted  out  under  Gen- 
eral Mclntosh  to  subdue  the  "Wyandot  Indians  at 
Sandusky,  and  then  to  proceeed  against  Detroit. 
General  Mclntosh  acomplished  very  little,  but  hap- 
pily for  the  frontiers,  happily  for  the  Republic, 
General  George  Rogers  Clark  was  at  the  same  tune 
achieving  wonderful  success  in  the  region  of  the 
Illinois  and  the  Wabash. 


GENERAL  GEORGE  ROGERS  CLARK 


EXTRACTS  FROM  LECTURE  ON  OHIO        173 

This  great  soldier,  then  a  citizen  of  Kentucky, 
though  a  native  of  Virginia,  had  the  boldness  to 
urge  upon  the  people  of  Kentucky,  to  demand  assist- 
ance from  his  native  State,  Virginia,  or  independ- 
ence from  her  dominion.  Kentucky  made  the  de- 
mand and  obtained  supplies,  and  General  Clark  was 
authorized  to  raise  troops  for  the  reduction  of  Kas- 
kaskia  and  St.  Vincents  (now  Vincennes).  He  raised 
only  two  hundred  men.  However,  he  learned  two 
important  facts :  One  was,  the  alliance  of  the 
French  with  the  Colonies ;  and  the  other,  that  the 
inhabitants  of  Kaskaskia,  who  were  mostly  French, 
believed  the  Virginians  to  be  a  cruel  and  blood- 
thirsty people.  The  Fort  of  Kaskaskia  surren- 
dered to  General  Clark  without  the  firing  of  a  gun 
or  the  loss  of  a  life.  Its  surrender  was  brought 
about  in  this  way :  General  Clark  made  the  people 
of  the  town  and  the  inmates  of  the  fort  believe  that 
he  had  command  of  an  army  of  more  than  two 
thousand  soldiers.  Late  in  the  afternoon  of  July 
3,  1778,  the  inhabitants  of  Kaskaskia  and  the 
British  soldiers  occupying  the  fort  were  surprised 
by  hearing  military  music  and  seeing  the  bayonets, 
flags,  and  banners  of  General  Clark's  men  as  they 
came  up  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  ridge  within 
plain  sight  of  the  town,  and  marched  along  just 
near  enough  to  the  top  of  the  same  to  display  their 
bayonets  and  flags  without  entirely  exposing  them- 
selves to  view,  and  then  disappeared,  only  to  march 


174        EXTRACTS  FROM  LECTURE  ON  OHIO 

back  unseen  and  remarch  along  the  ridge.  Thus 
General  Clark  kept  up  a  continual  marching  till 
dark.  The  same  bayonets  and  flags  were  seen  over 
and  over  again  by  the  people  of  Kaskaskia,  the 
garrison  supposing  that  an  army  had  come  to  at- 
tack them,  instead  of  a  soldier-band  of  two  hun- 
dred men.  At  midnight  of  the  same  day,  Clark 
marched  into  Kaskaskia,  and  both  town  and  fort 
surrendered  to  him  without  resistance.  By  kind 
treatment  he  won  the  inhabitants  over  to  his  side, 
and  made  them  feel  that  the  Virginians  were  a  kind 
and  forbearing  people.  General  Clark  afterwards 
captured  Fort  St.  Vincents  and  other  places,  to- 
gether with  their  forts. 

When  the  American  and  the  British  Commis- 
sioners were  negotiating  the  terms  of  peace  at 
Paris  in  17" 82,  Great  Britain  insisted  upon  making 
the  Ohio  River  the  northern  boundary  of  the 
United  States.  Dr.  Franklin  intimated  to  his  col- 
leagues, John  Jay  and  John  Adams,  that,  perhaps, 
they  had  better  yield  the  point;  but  Adams  an- 
swered, "No,"  and  added,  "Sooner  than  yield 
the  Western  country  I  will  retire  from  the  nego- 
tiations, and  recommend  my  Government  to  fight 
so  long  as  there  is  a  man  remaining  able  to  bear 
arms."  Jay  agreed  with  Adams.  The  Amer 
icans  based  their  claim  to  the  territory  on  the  sole 
ground  that  General  George  Rogers  Clark  con- 
quered it  in  1778. 


EXTRACTS  FROM  LECTURE  ON  OHIO        175 

Let  me  ask  those  who  have  not  already  done 
so,  to  read  the  life  and  exploits  of  this  great  sol- 
dier, General  George  Rogers  Clark.  With  the 
people  of  this  part  of  the  country  his  name  should 
be  a  household  word. 

Fellow-citizens  of  Ohio,  we  can  not  hold  in 
too  deep  a  gratitude  the  memory  of  George  Rog- 
ers Clark,  when  we  come  to  realize  that  the  vast 
territory  which  embraces  the  States  of  Ohio,  Indi- 
ana, Illinois,  Michigan,  and  Wisconsin,  would  now 
be  a  part  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  and  the 
people  thereof  British  subjects,  had  it  not  been 
for  the  achievements  of  this  ' '  Napoleon  of  the 
West, "  as  he  has  justly  been  called. 

There  should  be  placed  in  one  of  the  beautiful 
parks  of  Cincinnati  a  magnificent  monument  to 
General  George  Rogers  Clark,  containing  a  statue 
of  him  whom,  of  all  the  Revolutionary  heroes  next 
to  Washington,  we  should  delight  to  honor.  More- 
over, each  of  the  above  named  States  should  erect 
on  the  grounds  of  its  capitol  a  monument  to  his 
memory. 


Occasional  Addresses 

12  177 


CINCINNATI:  THE  UNIVERSITY  CITY  OF  THE 
TWENTIETH  CENTURY 

RESPONSE  TO  A  TOAST  AT  THE  DR.  E.  D.  MORRIS  BANQUET 
HELD  IN  MUSIC  HALL,  DECEMBER  H,  1896 

LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN, — This  is  one  of  the 
pleasantest  occasions  of  my  life,  one  that  awakens 
in  me  feelings  of  gratitude ;  for  I  have  come  to 
pay  just  and  heartfelt  tribute  to  him  under  whose 
inspiring  teaching  I  sat,  a  third  of  a  century  ago, 
when  I  began  my  long  career  in  the  public  schools 
of  this,  my  adopted  State.  Dr.  E.  D.  Morris  at 
the  time  was  pastor  of  the  Church  I  attended,  and 
I  am  not  unmindful  of  the  elevating  influences  of 
others  when  I  bear  testimony  to  the  fact  that  few, 
indeed,  are  they  whose  words  and  character  have 
impressed  me  so  deeply  and  so  lastingly. 

Dr.  Morris  is  a  man.     Of  him  it  can  be  said : 

"  He  lives  for  those  who  love  him, 
For  those  who  know  him  true, 
For  the  heaven  that  smiles  above  him, 

And  awaits  his  spirit  too ; 
For  the  cause  that  lacks  assistance, 
For  the  wrong  that  needs  resistance, 
For  the  future  in  the  distance, 
And  the  good  that  he  can  do." 

179 


180  OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES 

I  am  aware  that  I  am  trespassing  on  forbidden 
ground ;  for  our  honored  guest  consented  to  this 
public  farewell  only  upon  the  condition  that  his 
personality  should  be  subordinated  to  the  interests 
of  higher  education  in  this  city.  But  in  justice  to 
my  own  feelings,  I  could  not  say  less. 

"CINCINNATI:    THE  UNIVERSITY  CITY  OF  THE 
TWENTIETH  CENTUKY" 

Upon  what  basis  do  we  make  this  claim?  We 
make  it  upon  the  ground  of  the  co-education  of 
the  sexes ;  upon  that  of  the  high  character  of  her 
existing  educational  institutions,  including  her  un- 
excelled system  of  public  schools;  upon  that  of 
the  rapid  progress  she  is  making  in  intellectual  and 
artistic  development,  and  the  growing  sentiment  of 
her  people  in  favor  of  higher  education ;  and  upon 
that  of  her  fortunate  location  as  an  educational 
center,  her  own  future  greatness  as  a  metropolis, 
and  the  stability  and  high  character  of  her  citizens. 

CO-EDUCATION 

It  has  been  the  policy  of  Cincinnati  to  educate 
the  sexes  together.  When  superintendent  of 
schools,  I  received  a  letter  from  a  noble  band  of 
Boston  women,  battling  for  the  admission  of  their 
sex  into  the  famous  Boston  Latin  School,  inquiring 
to  what  extent  co-education  was  practiced  in  Cin- 
cinnati. 


OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES  181 

"With  exultant  pride  (for  I  was  born  within 
thirty-eight  miles  of  "Old  Boston  Common"),  I 
answered  that  boys  and  girls  entered  the  public 
schools  together,  passed  through  the  high  schools 
together,  and  together  received  the  Bachelor's  De- 
gree of  the  University  of  Cincinnati,  the  crowning 
glory  of  our  educational  system.  And  further,  I 
replied,  that  not  only  were  our  requirements  for 
matriculation  as  exacting  as  those  of  their  own 
Harvard,  but  that  the  scholarship  of  our  young 
women  was  equal  to  that  of  our  young  men. 

Ladies  and  gentlemen,  co-education  of  the 
sexes  is  an  "  Ohio  idea. ' '  It  originated  with  the 
late  Dr.  Charles  G.  Finney,  when  president  of 
Oberlin  College  of  this  State.  And  how  appro- 
priate this  reference,  as  we  gaze  upon  the  * '  Scarlet 
and  Gold"  of  "Old  Oberlin,"  the  graceful  set- 
ting for  the  honored  and  gifted  daughter17  of  this 
grand  pioneer  of  a  grand  idea ;  and,  again,  as  we 
call  to  mind  that  the  first  occupant  of  the  chair  of 
Greek  in  the  University  of  Cincinnati  is  Professor 
Frederick  Allen,  the  son  of  the  first  woman  who 
graduated  and  received  the  Bachelor's  Degree  from 
any  college  or  university  on  the  globe ! 

Dear  old  lady !  she  dropped  her  Homer  and 
her  Plato  only  as  the  threads  of  life  were  loosened, 
when,  at  the  age  of  eighty,  she  gently  passed  away 
on  our  beautiful  Mt.  Auburn. 

From  the  walls  of   Oberlin  co-education  has 


182  OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES 

spread  to  all  parts  of  the  country.  It  has  crossed 
the  Atlantic,  and  to-day  fifteen  of  the  time-honored 
universities  even  of  the  kingdom  of  Italy  are  open 
to  women ;  and  last  month  the  Austrian  Minister 
of  Instruction,  Baron  Gautsch,  stated  that  the 
Government  was  now  preparing  legal  measures  to 
admit  women  to  all  the  faculties  of  the  universities 
except  that  of  theology,  and  also  to  grant  to  women 
who  have  obtained  medical  degrees  in  foreign  uni- 
versities the  right  to  practice  medicine  in  Austria. 

You  will  remember,  Mr.  Toastmaster,  when 
co-education  invaded  old,  conservative  Massachu- 
setts, and  knocked  at  the  doors  of  "fair  Harvard  " 
for  admission.  You  will  remember  how  grudg- 
ingly she  granted  permission  for  the  establishment 
of  the  "Female  Annex,"  now  Radcliffe  College. 
At  that  time  the  doors  of  the  University  of  Cin- 
cinnati stood  wide  open,  saying  to  the  young 
women  of  this  city :  * '  Enter  into  the  inner  temple, 
and  keep  step  with  your  brothers.  Here  educa- 
tion is  not  confined  to  the  masculine  gender. ' ' 

Co-education  is  an  expression  of  the  spirit  of 
the  age.  It  can  not  be  checked.  It  will  not 
down.  Upon  this  platform,  every  college  and 
every  university  that  shall  hereafter  be  established 
in  this  country  will  stand ;  for  it  rests  upon  right 
and  justice. 

All  honor  to  Finney,  its  originator  and  earliest 
advocate  1 


OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES  183 

It  has  been  shown  from  the  records  of  Prince- 
ton, kept  for  a  century  and  a  half,  that  a  very 
large  proportion  of  her  students  have  been  the 
sons  of  college-educated  men,  and  that  a  large  per- 
centage of  the  fathers  of  such  students  have  been 
her  own  alumni.  This  shows  two  things :  First, 
that  those  who  have  themselves  received  a  colle- 
giate education  will  make  great  sacrifices  to  give 
their  sons  equal  advantages ;  and,  second,  that  the 
attachment  of  the  alumni  to  their  alma  mater  is  an 
essential  factor  in  building  up  a  great  university. 

Now,  what  is  true  in  this  respect  of  the  fa- 
thers, will  be  equally  true  of  the  mothers.  "We 
ha^e,  then,  this  decided  advantage  over  the  old 
colleges  and  universities  of  the  East,  that  the 
mothers,  as  well  as  the  fathers,  will  endeavor  to 
give  their  daughters  as  well  as  their  sons  a  uni- 
versity education,  and,  if  circumstances  will  in  any 
way  permit,  send  them  to  their  cherished  alma 
mater )  the  University  of  Cincinnati. 

THE  GROWTH  OF  PUBLIC  SENTIMENT  IN  CINCINNATI 
IN  FAVOR  OP  HIGHER  EDUCATION 

I  come  now  to  consider  the  growing  sentiment 
of  the  people  in  favor  of  higher  education,  which 
is  another  important  factor  in  estimating  the  future 
growth  of  our  University.  This  growth  can  not 
be  shown  in  a  clearer  way  than  by  contrasting  the 
past  with  the  present.  Within  the  time  that  Dr. 


184  OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES 

Morris  and  myself  have  been  residents  of  Cincin- 
nati, the  city — and  I  say  it  without  fear  of  success- 
ful contradiction — has  made  much  greater  internal 
improvement  than  any  other  of  the  old  and  im- 
portant cities  on  this  continent,  and  with  this  ma- 
terial improvement,  the  growth  of  sentiment  in 
favor  of  higher  education  has  kept  pace. 

Years  ago,  by  a  careful  comparison  between 
Boston  and  Cincinnati,  in  regard  to  secondary  and 
higher  education,  I  found  that  while  Boston  had 
less  than  one  and  a  half  tunes  as  many  inhabitants, 
there  were  graduated  from  her  high  schools  over 
six  and  a  half  times  as  many  students  as  from  ours, 
and  there  were  graduated  that  year  from  Harvard 
University,  to  say  nothing  of  the  Boston  University, 
the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology,  and  Tufts 
College,  very  nearly  as  many  young  men  who  were 
residents  of  Boston  as  there  were  boys  and  girls 
in  the  graduating  classes  of  the  Cincinnati  high 
schools.  And  at  that  time,  less  than  five  per  cent  of 
our  high-school  graduates  entered  colleges  and  uni- 
versities; now  between  thirty  and  thirty -five  per 
cent  attend  these  institutions — more  in  number 
than  were  then  graduated  from  our  high  schools, 
and  the  number  is  rapidly  increasing  annually. 

The  University  of  Cincinnati  has  now  more  stu- 
dents in  her  academic  department  than  Harvard 
had  at  the  close  of  two  and  a  quarter  centuries  of 
her  existence. 


OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES  185 

PRESENT  EDUCATIONAL   INSTITUTIONS,  APART 
FROM  OUR  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

Permit  me,  before  I  make  mention  of  the 
educational  institutions  that  have  not  yet  affiliated 
with  the  university,  to  refer  to  the  departments 
that  have  been  added  within  the  present  year. 
First  came  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  the 
first  College  of  Medicine  established  west  of 
the  Alleghanies,  founded  by  the  immortal  Daniel 
Drake;  simultaneously  came  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  medical  faculties  of  the  land.  This 
college,  now  a  department  of  the  University, 
has  a  body  of  alumni  numbering  over  five  thou- 
sand, and  scattered  over  our  entire  nation.  Next 
was  organized  the  University  Department  of  Law, 
with  an  unusually  distinguished  Faculty.  In  or- 
der to  render  both  these  departments  unexcelled 
in  the  land,  may  we  not  hope  that,  at  no  distant 
date,  all  the  schools  of  medicine  and  law  in  this 
city  may  be  united  under  the  aegis  of  the  Uni- 
versity? Equal  words  of  praise  may  be  spoken  of 
the  affiliated  Dental  Department.  In  addition,  I 
might  state  that  we  are  now  upon  the  eve  of  con- 
solidation with  the  long-established  Cincinnati 
College  of  Pharmacy.  Furthermore,  the  authori- 
ties of  the  University  are  now  considering  a  prop- 
osition for  the  establishment  of  a  Semitic  Depart- 
ment, which  would  unquestionably  rank  high 


186  OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES 

among  the  few  centers  of  Oriental  training  in  this 
country. 

I  now  come  to  speak  of  the  non-affiliating  in- 
stitutions, the  most,  if  not  all  of  which  will,  in 
my  opinion,  become  integral  parts  of  the  Univer- 
sity within  the  next  quarter  of  a  century ;  some  of 
them  would  be  incorporated  within  the  next  six 
months,  provided  the  Board  of  Directors  had  the 
funds  at  hand  to  guarantee  their  future  success ; 
but,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  funds  will  come  when 
our  wealthy  citizens  are  fully  awake  to  the  tre- 
mendous importance  to  this  city  of  a  greater  Uni- 
versity. 

The  institutions  to  which  reference  has  been 
made  are :  The  Cincinnati  Art  School,  the  best 
art  school  on  the  continent,  and  second  to  no  one 
in  Europe.  This  statement  is  made  upon  the  au- 
thority of  the  late  Colonel  George  Ward  Nichols, 
the  founder  of  the  College  of  Music,  himself  an 
art  critic,  who  made  a  careful  examination  of  the 
art  schools  of  Europe  and  America  when  gather- 
ing material  for  the  work  that  he  published  on  the 
subject.  The  Cincinnati  College  of  Music,  which 
at  least  is  not  excelled  by  more  than  one,  if  by  any 
other  institution  of  the  kind,  in  the  country.  Our 
Zoological  Garden,  a  college  in  itself.  Our  Cin- 
cinnati Society  of  Natural  History,  of  interna- 
tional reputation  as  a  center  of  original  investiga- 
tion, and  famous  for  its  magnificent  collections. 


OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES  187 

The  Historical  and  Philosophical  Society,  with  one 
of  the  choicest  reference  libraries  on  the  continent. 
Our  Mechanics  Institute,  one  of  the  oldest  and 
most  successful  institutions  of  learning  in  the  city. 
Our  great  Public  and  Mercantile  Libraries.  Our 
practical  School  of  Ceramics  in  our  famed  Rook- 
wood  Pottery.  In  speaking  of  Rookwood,  let  me 
add  the  testimony  of  one  of  Germany's  greatest 
scientists,  Otto  N".  Witt,  the  distinguished  profes- 
sor and  head  of  the  Ceramic  Department  of  the 
Polytechnicum  of  Berlin,  who  was  the  imperial 
commissioner  of  the  German  Empire  to  the  Colum- 
bian Exposition,  intrusted  with  the  duty  of  making 
an  extended  study  of  artistic  and  scientific  schools. 

Professor  Witt  declared  he  found  more  origi- 
nality, individuality,  and  evidence  of  real  artistic 
growth  there  than  in  all  the  rest  of  the  country 
combined.  The  Rookwood  produced,  not  only  the 
best  pottery,  but  in  the  whole  sphere  of  artistic 
development  was  the  one  thing  that  would  give 
inspiration  to  lovers  of  art  in  Europe. 

In  addition  to  the  f oregoing,  I  must  not  fail  to 
mention  three  other  educational  institutions  of  high 
reputation  that  will  probably  remain  apart  from  the 
University,  but  which,  with  other  non-affiliated 
colleges  and  seminaries,  will  nevertheless  bear  an 
important  part  in  entitling  our  city  to  be  called 
"The  University  City;"  viz.,  Lane  Seminary, 
with  its  splendid  history  and  grand  associations, 


188  OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES 

to  whose  retiring  president  we  have  come  to-night 
to  pay  our  tribute  of  love  and  appreciation ;  St. 
Xavier  College,  famed  for  its  instruction  in  the 
classics ;  the  Hebrew  Union  College,  the  only  in- 
stitution of  its  kind  on  the  continent,  drawing  its 
students  from  both  North  and  South  America. 

PICTURE  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CINCINNATI  AS  SHE 

WILL  BE  IN  THE  LATTER  PART  OF  THE 

TWENTIETH  CENTURY 

Ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  hesitate  to  picture  to 
you  the  University  of  Cincinnati  as  she  will  be  in 
the  latter  part  of  the  next  century,  for  fear  you  will 
think  I  have  drawn  too  freely  upon  my  imagina- 
tion, and  yet  I  shall  present  her  to  you  only  as  I 
think  she  should  be,  and  as  she  will  be,  if  Cincin- 
nati remains  true  to  herself. 

I  see  her  main  buildings,  the  seat  of  her  Aca- 
demic Department,  covering  many  acres  of  ground : 
her  Conservatory  of  Plants;  her  Botanical  and 
Zoological  Gardens ;  her  Arboretum ;  her  Museum 
of  Natural  History ;  her  spacious  Laboratories  of 
Chemical,  Physical,  and  Allied  Sciences ;  her  great 
Departments  of  Medicine,  of  Law,  of  Dentistry, 
of  Pharmacy ;  her  Art  School  and  Art  Museum ; 
her  Department  of  Ceramic  Art ;  her  School  of 
Forestry ;  her  Normal  School ;  her  Libraries,  em- 
bracing every  department  of  human  knowledge, — 


OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES  189 

and  all  upon  a  scale  second  to  no  other,  and  the 
whole  institution  in  the  most  flourishing  condition. 
I  also  see  the  non-affiliated  educational  institutions 
of  the  city,  all  combined  to  make  Cincinnati  the 
University  City  of  the  twentieth  century.  I  see 
the  nucleus  of  all  this  here  to-day. 

Again,  and  in  addition,  Cincinnati  lies  in  the 
very  heart  of  this  great  Republic,  in  the  midst  of 
a  fertile  country,  inhabited  by  an  intelligent  and 
enterprising  people. 

No  ocean,  nor  inland  sea,  nor  foreign  territory, 
limits  the  educational  dominion  of  the  ' '  Queen  of 
the  West."  And  to-day,  within  cannon-shot  of 
where  I  now  stand,  are  the  homes  of  half  a  mil- 
lion people.  Here  are  all  the  conditions  neces- 
sary to  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  a  metropolis. 

When  we  picture  to  ourselves  what  Cincinnati 
will  be  in  size  and  influence  before  the  next  cen- 
tury has  passed  away ;  when  we  bring  to  mind  the 
vast  population  that  will  occupy,  before  that  day, 
the  territory  naturally  tributary  to  this  Inland 
Queen ;  and  when,  in  this  connection,  we  take  into 
consideration  that  here,  too,  are  all  the  conditions 
necessary  to  the  building  up  of  a  vast  university, 
can  we  not  in  confidence  say :  ' '  Cincinnati,  be  true 
to  thyself,  and  thou  wilt,  indeed,  be 

"  THE  UNIVERSITY  CITY  OF  THE  TWENTIETH 
CENTURY?" 


190  OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES 


OUR  EDUCATORS 

RESPONSE  TO  A  TOAST  AT  THE  JUDGE   HOADLY   BANQUET, 
HELD  IN  SCOTTISH  RITE  CATHEDRAL,  FEB.  26,  1887 

MB.  CHAIRMAN  AND  GENTLEMEN, — In  respond- 
ing to  the  toast,  "  Our  Educators,"  I  shall  use  the 
word  educator  in  a  restricted  sense,  and  confine 
my  remarks  to  a  few  of  the  prominent  men  and 
women  who  have  rendered  distinguished  services 
as  teachers,  professors,  and  superintendents  in  pub- 
lic, private,  and  professional  schools  of  our  city, 
speaking  especially  of  those  who  have  passed  away. 

The  first  important  move  looking  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  public-school  system  of  Ohio  was 
made  when  the  Legislature,  in  1821,  appointed 
Nathan  Guilford,  of  Cincinnati,  one  of  the  com- 
missioners to  devise  and  report  a  school  system  for 
the  State.  The  report  of  the  commission  was  not 
acted  upon,  but  a  few  years  later,  Mr.  Guilford  was 
elected  to  the  Senate  of  Ohio,  on  the  school  issue, 
and  there  made  chairman  of  the  joint  Committee 
of  the  Legislature  on  Education,  and  in  his  capac- 
ity of  chairman  of  said  committee,  drew  up  the 
bill  that  established  the  school  system  of  the  State. 
In  1850,  Mr.  Guilford  was  elected,  by  the  popular 
vote  of  the  city,  the  first  superintendent  of  the 
Cincinnati  public  schools.  We  all  honor  his  name. 

Another  of  the  great  educators  in  the  early 


OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES  191 

days  of  the  public  schools  was  Samuel  Lewis.  Had 
it  not  been  for  his  influence  "Old  Woodward," 
a  name  so  dear  to  the  "Old  Woodward  boys" 
here  present,  would  never  have  been  known ;  for 
it  was  through  his  advice  and  importunity  that 
his  intimate  friend,  Mr.  William  Woodward,  was 
induced  to  consecrate  his  means  to  the  establish- 
ment of  Woodward  College,  now  Woodward  High 
School  of  this  city.  And  not  only  the  citizens  of 
Cincinnati,  but  the  friends  of  public  education 
throughout  the  State,  owe  Mr.  Lewis  a  debt  of 
gratitude,  for  through  his  masterly  efforts  as  school 
commissioner  of  Ohio,  in  1837,  the  school  system 
of  the  State  was  remodeled  by  the  Legislature,  and 
placed  upon  a  broad  foundation  in  accordance  with 
the  plan  submitted  by  him. 

In  1836,  Prof.  Calvin  E.  Stowe,  of  Lane  Sem- 
inary, of  this  city,  was  commissioned  by  a  joint 
resolution  -of  the  General  Assembly  of  Ohio  ' '  to 
collect  such  facts  and  information  as  he  might  deem 
useful  to  the  State,  in  regard  to  the  various  sys- 
tems of  public  instruction  which  have  been  adopted 
in  the  countries  through  which  he  might  pass  in 
his  contemplated  tour  through  Europe,  and  to 
make  a  report  thereof,  with  such  practical  sug- 
gestions and  observations  as  he  might  think  proper, 
to  the  General  Assembly  of  Ohio."  Gentlemen, 
when  we  take  into  consideration  that  in  those  days 
very  little  was  attempted  outside  of  the  three  R's ; 


192  OCCASIONAL   ADDRESSES 

that  instruction  in  music  and  drawing  was  not 
thought  of ;  that  there  was  no  such  thing  as  object 
lessons  then  known;  that  teaching  the  sounds 
of  the  letters  of  the  alphabet  was  not  attempted ; 
that  the  slate  and  pencil  were  not  usually  placed  in 
the  hands  of  the  children  till  the  third  or  fourth 
year  of  school,  and  the  quill  or  pen  not  till  years 
afterwards;  that  number  was  not  taught  in  the 
lower  grades,  and  so  on, — we  can  realize  what  a 
revelation  Dr.  Stowe's  report,  which  included  all 
the  reforms  in  methods  of  instruction  suggested 
here,  was  to  members  of  the  General  Assembly 
and  to  the  educators  of  the  State;  but  to-day 
the  beautiful  effects  of  the  introduction  of  the 
methods  explained  and  recommended  in  that  re- 
port can  be  seen  in  all  the  grades  of  the  public 
schools  of  Ohio. 

Dr.  William  H.  McGuffey,  the  author  of  "  Mc- 
Guffey's  Readers,"  is  another  of  Cincinnati's  noted 
educators.  To  his  discriminating  judgment  and 
refined  literary  taste,  many  thousands  of  the  people 
of  this  country  owe  their  love  of  good  literature. 
The  influence  for  good  that  Dr.  McGuffey  has  ex- 
erted through  his  books  is  incalculable. 

There  is  Dr.  Joseph  Ray,  the  prompt,  decisive 
professor  of  Mathematics,  the  dignified  president 
of  "  Old  Woodward,"  whose  mathematical  works 
are  used  in  thousands  of  public  and  private  schools 
to-day. 


OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES  193 


LITERARY  INSTITUTE  AND  COLLEGE  OF  PROFES- 
SIONAL TEACHERS. 

There  is  Albert  Pickett,  who  edited  in  New 
York  City,  in  1811,  the  jEducational  Magazine, 
the  first  educational  publication  in  this  country. 
Dr.  Pickett  came  to  Cincinnati  in  1829,  and  opened 
a  private  school  for  girls,  and,  with  his  brother, 
organized  the  renowned  * '  Literary  Institute  and 
College  of  Professional  Teachers,"  the  most  im- 
portant educational  association  ever  organized  in 
this  part  of  the  country.  The  following  remark- 
able list  of  Cincinnati  educators  were  members : 
Professor  "Win.  H.  McGuffey ;  Professor  A.  Kin- 
mont,  the  great  classical  scholar ;  Dr.  Daniel  Drake, 
the  founder  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  and 
one  of  the  foremost  men  of  his  time ;  Dr.  B.  P. 
Aydelott,  Professor  Calvin  E.  Stowe,  Professor 
Charles  L.  Telford;  Professor  Timothy  "Walker, 
the  profound  law  professor,  and  author  of  ' '  "Walk- 
er's American  Law;"  Mrs.  Caroline  Lee  Hentz, 
teacher  and  novelist ;  Samuel  Lewis,  Esq. ;  Professor 
John  L.  Talbott,  author  of  an  arithmetic ;  Professor 
Thomas  J.  Matthews,  father  of  Justice  Stanley  Mat- 
thews; Professor  Milo  G.  "Williams,  Dr.  Albert 
Pickett,  Dr.  Joseph  Ray ;  Professor  O.  M.  Mitchel, 
astronomer,  orator,  soldier;  Dr.  Lyman  Beecher, 
president  of  Lane  Seminary ;  Miss  Harriet  Beecher, 
13 


194  OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES 

now  Mrs.  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe ;  and  Miss  Cath- 
erine E.  Beecher.  Both  Harriet  and  Catherine 
were  teachers  and  authors. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  teachers,  Arch- 
bishop John  B.  Purcell ;  E.  D.  Mansfield,  the  ed- 
itor; Thomas  Pierce,  the  poet;  John  W.  Foote, 
the  author,  and  other  Cincinnatians,  were  mem- 
bers. Among  those  who  took  part  in  the  delib- 
erations of  that  body,  not  residents  of  Cincinnati, 
were  Hon.  Horace  Mann ;  Rev.  Alexander  Camp- 
bell, the  founder  of  the  Christian  Church ;  the 
eloquent  Samuel  Eels;  Mrs.  Sigourney,  the  poet; 
and  Thomas  S.  Grimke,  the  Southern  orator. 

Mr.  Chairman,  every  one  of  these  educators 
deserves  to  be  mentioned  at  length,  but  time  will 
not  permit.  I  leave  them  here,  feeling  assured 
that  enough  has  been  said  to  convince  every  one  of 
you  that  Cincinnati  has,  indeed,  had  a  most  remark- 
able list  of  eminent  men  and  women  as  instructors 
of  her  youth.  Gentlemen,  the  long  roll  of  great 
educators  has  been  importantly  increased  since  the 
days  of  the  Literary  Institute  by  the  addition  of 
the  names  of  Judge  Bellamy  Storer  and  Professor 
M.  E.  Curwin,  of  the  Cincinnati  Law  School ;  of 
Dr.  C.  G.  Comegys,  of  the  Miami  Medical  Col- 
lege; of  Professor  Daniel  Yaughn,  one  of  the 
most  noted  mathematicians,  scientists,  and  astron- 
omers of  his  day;  of  Professor  James  E.  Mur- 
doch, the  renowned  elocutionest  and  author;  of 


OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES  195 

Dr.  Andrew  J.  Rickoff  and  Dr.  John  Hancock, 
superintendents  of  the  public  schools  of  our  city ; 
and  of  many  others  of  great  merit  whom  I  should 
delight  to  mention,  but  whom  I  desist  from  eulo- 
gizing because  they  still  li ve  among  us. 

But,  gentlemen,  there  are  two  with  us  to-night 
whose  names  can  be  mentioned  here  without  fear 
of  exciting  envy  or  jealousy :  they  are  our  vener- 
able and  esteemed  fellow-citizen,  Rabbi  Dr.  Isaac 
M.  Wise,  professor,  editor,  and  author,  and  the 
founder  of  the  Hebrew  Union  College;  and  our 
honored  guest,  Governor  George  Hoadly,  great 
jurist  and  brilliant  professor  of  law. 

Years  ago  I  was  a  student  in  the  Law  Depart- 
ment of  the  Cincinnati  College,  where  Judge 
Hoadly 's  singularly  clear  exposition  of  the  intri- 
cacies of  the  law  challenged  my  admiration,  and 
where  his  kindness,  patience,  and  condescension 
won  my  love  and  affection.  And  now,  gentle- 
men, in  conclusion,  let  me  say  that  while  each  one 
of  you  may  appreciate  to  their  fullest  extent  the 
important  services  rendered  our  beloved  city  and 
State  by  our  distinguished  guest;  while  each 
of  you  may  realize  the  great  loss  that  both  must 
sustain  by  Judge  Hoadly 's  removal  to  New  York 
City,  there  is  no  one  here  who  will  regret  his  de- 
parture from  our  midst  more  keenly  than  I  shall, 
nor  is  there  one  who  can  wish  him  a  more  pros- 
perous or  a  happier  future  than  I  do. 


196  OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES 


GRACE  AGUILAR  SOCIETY 

EXTRACTS  FROM  ADDRESS  AT  ENTERTAINMENT  GIVEN  BY 
THIS  SOCIETY  FOR  THE  BENEFIT  OF  THE  JOHNS- 
TOWN SUFFERERS,  JUNE  7,  1889 

LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN, — When  first  requested 
by  the  committee  of  the  Grace  Aguilar  Society, 
which  is  giving  this  entertainment  for  the  benefit 
of  the  Johnstown  sufferers,  I  hesitated  to  accept, 
feeling  that  some  one  should  have  been  selected 
whose  name  alone  would  attract  an  immense  audi- 
ence to  this  hall ;  but  when  ' '  my  boys  and  girls ' ' 
insisted  that  I  should  open  the  exercises,  I  could 
but  yield. 

My  friends,  our  hearts,  and  the  hearts  of  the 
whole  civilzed  world,  are  bleeding  to-night  for  the 
bereaved  and  suffering  people  in  the  Conemaugh 
Valley  in  Pennsylvania. 

We  are  here  at  the  call  of  humanity.  The 
greatest  physical  calamity  that  has  ever  befallen 
our  beloved  country  lies  before  us.  More  than 
two  thousand  people,  men,  women,  and  children, 
have  been  sacrificed  by  the  terrible  avalanche 
of  waters.  Over  thirty  million  dollars'  worth  of 
property  has  been  destroyed,  leaving  upwards  of 
twenty  thousand  people  destitute  and  homeless. 
Few,  indeed,  of  this  vast  number  are  they  who  are 


OCCASIONAL   ADDRESSES 


197 


not  mourning  the  loss  of  father  or  mother,  of  son 
or  daughter,  of  brother  or  sister,  of  one  or  more 
of  their  dear  ones  who  were  sent  unwarned  to  their 
eternal  home,  leaving  their  crushed  and  mangled 
remains  amid  the  ruins  of  a  "Valley  of  Death." 

Let  us  not  longer  contemplate  the  scene.  It  is 
too  awful  for  civilized  man  to  dwell  upon.  But 
let  us  rather  think  upon  the  noble  charity  that  is 
pouring  in  upon  that  afflicted  people  from  all  parts 
of  our  common  country — from  the  East  and  the 
West,  from  the  North  and  the  South,  from  ocean 
to  ocean,  from  Lakes  to  Gulf,  and  that  is  welding 
all  sections  with  bonds  of  sympathy  and  love. 

Let  us  rather  contemplate  that  great  Coliseum 
of  hearts,  whose  foundations  are  as  broad  as  our 
country  itself,  which  is  being  built  by  Jew  and 
Gentile,  by  Protestant  and  Catholic, — by  all  with- 
out regard  to  sect  or  party,  race  or  condition, 
around  that  suffering  people. 

Ladies  and  gentlemen,  this  splendid  program 
of  exercises  which  are  to  follow,  invites  me  to  a 
seat;  but  before  leaving  the  stage  I  congratulate 
the  Grace  Aguilar  Society  over  the  large  receipts 
of  the  evening,  and  assure  the  audience  that  every 
cent  taken  in  at  the  door  will  go  directly  to  the 
relief  of  the  sufferers ;  for  everything  connected  with 
this  entertainment  has  been  donated, — this  opera- 
house,  the  services  of  the  participants,  the  printing 
of  the  tickets,  the  advertising, — everything. 


198  OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES 


PROF.  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON,  THE  NEGRO 
EDUCATOR 

EXTRACT   FROM   SPEECH  AT  THE  ANNIVERSARY  CELEBRA- 
TION OF  EMANCIPATION  DAY,  ZANESVILLE,  O., 
SEPTEMBER  22,  1895 

WHEN  we  remember  that  thirty-five  years  ago 
the  Negro  stood  upon  the  block  to  be  sold  to  the 
highest  bidder,  to  be,  perhaps,  torn  away  from  his 
family  and  all  that  was  dear  to  him,  and  when  we 
behold  him  to-day  standing  upon  the  same  plat- 
form with  those  he  once  so  menially  served,  a  free 
man,  their  equal  in  manhood,  giving  timely  advice 
to  the  people  of  both  races,  then  surely  must  we 
exclaim,  This  is  a  sight  worthy  of  immortality! 
Yes,  the  picture  of  Booker  T.  "Washington,18  the 
Negro  educator  and  orator,  standing  upon  the  same 
platform  at  the  Atlanta  Exposition  with  the  South- 
ern white  men,  with  the  ex-slaveholders  of  Georgia, 
will  be  immortalized  in  literature  and  painting. 
What  a  theme  for  the  poet  and  the  artist !  O  for 
Whittier  now!  O  for  one  more  poem  from  his 
immortal  pen,  that  he  might  enshrine  in  song  the 
consummation  of  his  dearest  hope,  the  realization 
of  his  most  ardent  desire,  the  climax  of  his  life 
work !  O  for  a  Raphael  or  a  Michael  Angelo,  to 
adequately  portray  that  scene!  'T is  worthy  the 
pencil  of  the  most  consummate  artist. 


OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES  199 


REMARKS  WELCOMING  THE  NATIONAL  GER- 
MAN-AMERICAN TEACHERS'  ASSOCIATION, 

IN  ZOOLOGICAL,  GARDENS,  JULY  2,  1892 

MB.  PRESIDENT  AND  TEACHERS, — It  is  with  un- 
usual pleasure  that  I  welcome  you  to  this  great 
school  of  natural  history — the  Zoological  Garden — 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  spots  in  the  remarkably 
beautiful  suburbs  of  Cincinnati.  The  number  and 
variety  of  its  forest  trees  and  shrubs ;  its  animals, 
from  all  parts  of  the  globe ;  its  knolls  and  ridges, 
and  its  picturesque  ravines ;  its  shaded  paths,  lead- 
ing from  animal  inclosure  to  animal  inclosure,  from 
pavilion  to  pavilion ;  its  charming  lake  and  rich 
vistas  of  emerald  green, — all  combine  to  make  it 
attractive,  beautiful,  and  instructive,  just  the  place 
for  the  meeting  of  a  convention  of  teachers,  who 
will  carry  the  lessons  taught  them  here  into  thou- 
sands of  American  homes. 

Teachers,  you  are  engaged  in  a  great  and  noble 
work,  in  a  calling  in  which  you  should  take  great 
pride.  Think  for  a  moment  of  the  influence  which 
teachers  have  upon  the  lives  and  characters  of  those 
under  their  charge !  Parents  do  not  fully  appre- 
ciate the  power  the  good  teacher  exerts  in  molding 
the  character  of  their  children.  How  many  who 
speak  disparagingly  of  their  instructors  owe  their 


200  OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES 

own  success  in  life  to  their  efforts !  How  many, 
could  they  but  realize  what  their  teachers  have 
done  for  them,  would  almost  revere  the  ground  on 
which  they  tread !  But  that  the  teachers'  vocation 
is  looked  down  upon  in  any  community  is  chiefly 
the  fault  of  the  teachers  themselves.  They  are 
apt  to  put  too  low  an  estimate  upon  their  own  call- 
ing, and  that  estimate  the  public  awards.  The 
great  Schiller  says : 

"  Every  man  stamps  his  value  on  himself — 
The  price  we  challenge  for  ourselves  is  given  us ; 
Man  is  made  great  or  small  by  his  own  will." 

Teachers,  take  pride  in  your  profession,  and 
others  will  take  pride  in  you. 

Have  you  forgotten  that  Longfellow  and  Lowell 
and  Holmes  and  Horace  Mann  and  Dr.  Harris 
were  teachers?  Have  you  forgotten  that  "Webster 
and  Jackson  and  Everett  and  Sumner  and  Garfield 
and  Elaine  taught  school?  Have  you  forgotten 
that  Jarvis  Raymond,  the  founder  of  the  New 
York  Times,  and  Nathan  Hale,  the  founder  of  the 
New  York  Advertiser,  taught  a  district  school? 
Have  you  forgotten  that  Pestalozzi  and  Froebel 
and  Franke  and  Herder  and  Grimm  and  Diester- 
weg  and  Max  Miiller  and  our  own  Stallo  were 
teachers?  Have  you  forgotten  that  the  great  na- 
tional anthem  of  Germany,  ' '  Die  Wacht  Am 
Rhein,"  was  written  by  a  schoolmaster?  Have 


OCCASIONAL  ADDRESS  201 

you  forgotten  that  Aristotle  and  Plato  and  Confu- 
cius, and  other  great  personalities  of  antiquity, 
whose  thoughts  have  influenced  the  entire  civilized 
world,  were  teachers?  Have  you  forgotten  that 
Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  and  "  Gail  Hamilton  "  and 
Mrs.  Willard  taught  school?  Need  you,  there- 
fore, be  ashamed  to  acknowledge  that  you  are 
members  of  the  profession?  I  leave  the  answer 
to  you. 

And  now,  members  of  the  National  German- 
American  Teachers'  Association,  permit  me  to  in- 
dulge the  hope  that  the  friendships  that  shall  be 
formed  by  our  associating  together  here  may  go 
with  us  through  life,  and  with  us  into  that  great 
beyond  towards  which  we  are  all  moving,  and 
where  we  one  day  expect  to  meet;  for,  in  the 
beautiful  words  of  Schiller : 

"Fur  dies  kurze  Menschenleben 

1st  die  Freundschaft  viel  zu  schon ; 
Ewigkeiten  muss  es  geben 
Wo  sich  Freunde  wiedersehn" — 

(Friendship  is  far  too  dear  for  this  brief  human 
life ;  there  must  be  an  eternity  where  friends  shall 
meet  again). 


202  OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES 


DELIVERED    BEFORE   THE    NATIONAL   GERMAN  AMERICAN 
TEACHERS    ASSOCIATION,  AT  CHICAGO,  JULY  19,  1889 

MR.  PRESIDENT,  LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN, — It 
is  a  source  of  great  satisfaction  to  me  to  know  that 
my  address  on  German  Instruction  in  Our  Public 
Schools,  delivered  before  the  German  Commercial 
Club  of  Cincinnati  last  year,  has  been  so  favorably 
received  by  the  friends  of  German  instruction  in 
the  public  schools  of  our  country,  and  that  it  has 
led  your  Committee  of  Arrangements  to  invite  me 
to  address  this  great  national  organization  of  Ger- 
man teachers  on  this  important  subject. 

I  shall  first  of  all  give  my  personal  experience 
and  investigations,  carried  on  during  my  long  serv- 
ice as  teacher,  principal,  and  superintendent,  in  the 
Cincinnati  public  schools,  and  shall  therefore  draw 
largely  on  my  annual  reports  to  the  Board  of  Ed- 
ucation. I  shall  attempt  no  flights  of  rhetoric; 
but  shall  endeavor  to  give  you,  in  a  plain,  practical 
talk,  the  facts  which  thoroughly  persuaded  me, 
once  the  opponent  of  German  instruction  in  our 
public  schools,  to  become  its  friend  and  advocate. 

Let  me  say,  by  way  of  explanation,  that  I  was 


OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES  203 

born  and  educated  in  the  country,  apart  from 
cities,  in  one  of  the  old  New  England  States ;  that 
previous  to  coming  West,  I  had  never  known  of 
any  other  language  than  my  mother  tongue  being 
taught  to  the  children  of  the  public  schools,  ex- 
cept in  the  high  schools,  where  a  little  Latin  and 
Greek  were  taught,  and  occasionally  French.  Im- 
agine, then,  my  surprise  when,  on  entering  the 
public  schools  of  Cincinnati  as  teacher,  I  found 
that  a  part  of  my  class  was  excused  by  the  rules, 
forty-five  minutes  each  day,  to  recite  in  German. 
Young,  enthusiastic,  and  ambitious  that  my  pupils 
should  lead  the  city  at  the  percented  semi-annual 
and  annual  examinations  for  promotion  to  the  in- 
termediate (grammar)  schools;  jealous,  therefore, 
of  every  moment  of  school-time,  and  prejudiced 
against  teaching  children  any  foreign  language  (it 
was  the  prejudice  of  ignorance),  and  feeling  that  the 
pupils  could  not  do  as  well  in  their  English  studies, 
I  begrudged  the  German  teacher  his  time,  and 
found  fault  with  the  Board  of  Education  for  re- 
quiring me  to  excuse  the  pupils  for  his  recitation. 
Time  went  on,  the  first  semi-annual  examination 
came,  and  my  German  boys  stood  among  the  very 
first  in  the  class  in  the  English  branches ;  the  an- 
nual examinations  came,  and  again  my  German 
boys  held  their  own,  and  passed  with  high  honors 
from  the  district  to  the  intermediate  schools.  My 
prejudices  began  to  soften.  I  began  to  feel  that 


204  OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES 

the  study  of  German  was  not  so  bad,  after  all,  as  I 
had  imagined. 

After  three  years'  experience  as  class  teacher 
of  the  upper  grade  of  the  Third  District  School  of 
Cincinnati,  I  was  elected  principal  of  the  Fifth 
District.  Here  I  was  confronted  by  a  fact  that  I 
could  not  then  understand.  It  was  this:  The 
teachers  of  English  in  the  primary  grades  requested 
me  to  assign  them  to  the  German  department. 
Now,  in  those  days,  all  importance  was  attached  to 
per  cents.  Indeed,  the  teachers  were  judged  by 
the  per  cents  their  classes  obtained  in  examina- 
tions; and  in  the  German  department  of  these 
grades  the  teachers  of  English  had  the  pupils  only 
one-half  of  the  time.  "Why  do  you  prefer  to 
teach  in  the  German  department?1'  I  asked;  and 
each  answered,  "Because  the  children  do  better 
in  their  studies,  and  are  more  easily  disciplined. ' ' 
' '  Do  you  tell  me, ' '  I  replied,  * '  that  the  children 
in  the  German  department,  who  devote  only  half 
their  school-time  to  the  English  branches,  do  bet- 
ter on  examination  in  English  than  those  who  de- 
vote their  whole  time  to  English  studies?"  "Yes, 
we  do,"  the  teachers  answered. 

Of  course,  the  wishes  of  all  could  not  be  com- 
plied with,  and  I  was  compelled  to  disappoint  a 
number  of  teachers  by  assigning  them  to  the  English 
department.  But  the  answer  of  the  English  teach- 
ers had  raised  an  important  question  in  my  mind, 


OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES  205 

and  led  me  to  make  a  thorough  investigation  in 
order  to  ascertain  the  truth  or  falsity  of  their 
statement ;  viz. ,  that  the  pupils  in  the  lower  grades 
of  that  school,  who  attended  the  German -English 
department,  passed  better  examinations  in  the  Eng- 
lish studies  than  those  who  attended  the  purely 
English  department.  So,  during  my  two  years' 
principalship  of  that  school,  I  watched  the  exam- 
inations and  progress  of  the  pupils  carefully,  and 
compared  the  results  of  the  two  departments,  and 
found  that  the  teachers  were  correct.  This  led  me 
to  make  a  thorough  investigation  of  the  statistics 
of  the  entire  school  system  of  the  city,  covering  a 
period  of  ten  years.  I  did  this  by  taking  the 
average  age  at  which  the  pupils  of  the  several  dis- 
trict schools  were  transferred  to  the  intermediate 
schools ;  that  is,  the  average  age  at  which  pupils 
passed  from  the  fifth  to  the  sixth  year  of  school 
life,  as  reported  by  the  several  principals  and  pub- 
lished in  the  Annual  Reports  of  the  Superintendent 
of  Schools.  The  statistics  showed  that  in  every 
one  of  the  ten  years  the  pupils  in  the  German- 
English  department,  those  who  studied  two  lan- 
guages, passed  to  the  intermediate  schools  on  an 
average  of  little  more  than  a  year  younger  than 
those  who  studied  English  only.  In  explanation, 
it  should  be  said  that  those  who  study  German  in 
the  Cincinnati  schools  are,  as  a  rule,  the  children 
of  German  parentage,  and  that  the  Germans  usu- 


206  OCCASIONAL   ADDRESSES 

ally  enter  their  children  at  a  younger  age,  and  keep 
them  more  regularly  in  school.  This  will  probably 
account  for  the  difference  in  age. 

When  I  remembered  that,  during  all  these  years, 
the  pupils  who  passed  to  the  intermediate  schools 
had  each  to  obtain  an  average  of  at  least  seventy 
per  cent  on  questions  prepared  by  the  superintend- 
ent of  schools,  and  which  were  the  same  for  every 
child  in  that  grade  in  the  entire  city,  the  fact  to 
me  was  astounding  until  the  reason  for  it  was 
understood;  but  it  was  conclusive.  I  no  longer 
doubted,  I  no  longer  thought, — I  knew  that  the 
study  of  German  did  not  retard  the  progress  of 
the  pupils  in  English.  I  knew,  also,  from  having 
myself  taught  for  three  years  in  the  highest  grade 
of  the  district  schools,  and  from  my  experience  as 
principal  of  all  the  grades,  that  those  pupils  who 
studied  English,  only,  had  as  full  and  complete  a 
course  as  they  could  accomplish  well.  Indeed,  the 
general  sentiment  among  the  Anglo-Americans  at 
that  time  was — and  is  to-day,  for  that  matter — 
that  their  children  have  too  much  to  do. 

Those  of  you  who  were  in  Cincinnati  fifteen 
years  ago,  will  remember  the  attacks  of  the  Eng- 
lish papers  upon  the  public  schools  of  that  city,  on 
the  ground  that  too  much  was  required  of  the  chil- 
dren. Yes,  those  whose  children  have  nearly 
double  the  time  for  English  are,  as  a  rule,  the  ones 
who  complain  of  overburdening,  stultifying,  and 


OCCASIONAL   ADDRESSES  207 

cramming,  and  of  too  many  studies.  Yery  few 
indeed,  if  any,  native  Americans  are  ever  heard  to 
find  fault  with  the  schools  on  the  ground  that  their 
children  do  not  have  enough  to  do.  And  yet  this 
so-called  burdensome  course  in  English  was,  as 
shown  by  the  statistics,  accomplished  by  the  pupils 
in  the  German-English  department,  in  which  nearly 
one-half  of  their  school-time,  during  four  of  the 
five  years'  course,  was  devoted  to  the  study  of  the 
German  language ;  and  this,  too,  at  an  average  age 
of  more  than  a  year  younger  than  the  others. 

In  this  connection  let  me  quote  from  Dr.  Kid- 
dle, for  many  years  superintendent  of  the  New 
York  City  schools.  Dr.  Kiddle  says :  "In  those 
schools  in  which  it  [the  German  language]  has  re- 
ceived the  most  earnest  attention,  and  in  which, 
consequently,  the  most  progress  has  been  made,  no 
indication  has  been  presented  that  this  branch  of 
study  has  at  all  retarded  the  progress  of  the  pupils 
in  their  English  studies ;  but  that  it  has  rather  fa- 
cilitated intellectual  advancement  in  English  gram- 
mar and  composition,  increasing  the  pupil's  fluency 
of  expression  by  giving  them  a  more  precise  knowl- 
edge of  the  meaning  of  words  in  their  own  tongue, 
aiding  in  an  important  manner  in  their  training  and 
development. ' ' 

Dr.  W.  T.  Harris,  former  superintendent  of 
the  St.  Louis  public  schools,  now  the  head  of  the 
Concord  School  of  Philosophy,  one  of  our  great 


208  OCCASIONAL   ADDRESSES 

educational  thinkers,  and  Dr.  Andrew  J.  Rickoff, 
ex-superintendent  of  the  Cincinnati  and  of  the 
Cleveland  public  schools,  another  great  school-man, 
report  similar  results. 

WHY  A  CHILD  CAN  STUDY  WITH  ADVANTAGE  Two 
LANGUAGES  AT  THE  SAME  TIME. 

The  fact  is,  that  a  child  can  study  two  lan- 
guages at  the  same  time,  and  do  as  well  in  each  as 
he  would  if  all  his  time  were  devoted  to  either 
language  alone.  This  fact  is  indisputable ;  it  can 
not  be  met  by  a  denial,  or  by  calling  us  hard 
names.  I  know,  from  personal  experience,  that  the 
very  statement  of  the  fact  seems  to  one  who  has 
not  investigated  the  subject,  and  who  does  not  un- 
derstand the  workings  of  the  infant  mind,  absurd, 
paradoxical,  or  foolish.  Why?  Because  an  adult 
is  prone  to  look  upon  the  mind  of  a  little  child  as 
he  does  upon  his  own  mind.  He  says  to  himself : 
"The  more  time  I  devote  to  any  one  subject,  the 
more  I  can  learn  of  it;  therefore,  the  more  my 
child  can."  Your  conclusion,  my  dear  sir,  as  my 
friend  Raab  would  say,  ' '  is  mathematically  true, 
but  educationally  false."  You  forget  the  all-im- 
portant fact  that  the  mind  of  the  child  is  only  in 
its  infant  stages  of  development ;  that,  therefore, 
it  can  comprehend  but  little  of  any  one  subject ;  that 
the  process  of  development  of  the  infant  mind  is 


OCCASIONAL   ADDRESSES  209 

slow  and  gradual ;  that  age  is  an  important  element 
in  the  education  of  children.  A  child  can  learn 
each  day  a  little  of  a  large  number  of  subjects, 
but  not  much  of  any  one.  It  can  learn,  for  in- 
stance, as  much  arithmetic  in  one-half  hour  daily 
as  in  ten  hours.  It1  will  learn  in  the  half  hour  all 
its  mind  can  assimilate — make  its  own — and  any 
attempt  to  give  it  more  than  this  becomes  a  cram- 
ming, stultifying  process,  and  defeats  its  own  ends. 
You  can't  force  the  mind  of  a  child  without  in  jury 
to  it.  You  can't  teach  it  beyond  its  powers  of  com- 
prehension, and  any  attempt  to  do  so  must  result 
in  failure.  "A  little  to-day,  and  a  little  to-mor- 
row," is  the  motto.  Again,  the  number  of  sub- 
jects relieves  the  mind  of  the  child.  The  child 
needs  change;  tension  in  one  direction  must  not  be 
long  maintained.  It  plays  at  one  thing,  then  at 
another.  This  is  the  nature  of  the  child ;  and  the 
nearer  we  follow  Nature's  method  in  its  training 
and  education,  the  better  for  the  child,  and  the 
better  for  the  public  schools.  Those  editors,  phy- 
sicians, and  others,  who  complain  of  overburdening 
and  cramming  the  minds  of  children  in  the  pri- 
mary schools,  on  the  ground  that  they  have  too 
many  branches  of  study,  do  so  through  ignorance 
of  the  real  facts,  and  against  the  experience  of  the 
best  school  systems  of  the  world;  aye,  against 
the  very  nature  of  the  child-mind.  The  danger 

v  O 

ger  of  cramming  and  overburdening  the  minds 
14 


210  OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES 

of  children  lies  exactly  in  the  opposite  direc- 
tion ;  lies  in  attempting  too  much  in  one  or  a  few 
subjects,  and  not  in  the  direction  of  too  many 
studies.  And  I  assert  here,  that  if,  as  some  advo- 
cate, the  courses  of  study  in  our  graded  schools 
were  reduced  to  the  three  R's,  the  instruction 
would  become  terribly  burdensome  to  the  children, 
especially  in  the  lower  grades,  and  they  would 
learn  less  of  these  subjects  than  they  do  now.  Such 
a  course  of  study  could  be  tolerated  only  in  an  un- 
graded school,  where,  on  account  of  the  great  num- 
ber of  classes,  very  little  time  is  given  to  each  rec- 
itation. 

What  I  have  said  concerning  the  number  of  sub- 
jects is  not  intended  to  apply  to  the  upper  grades ; 
for  in  these  grades  the  minds  of  the  pupils  are  more 
fully  developed,  and  they  can  devote,  with  profit, 
time  outside  of  the  class-room  to  the  preparation  of 
lessons;  therefore  the  number  of  studies  can  be 
safely  lessened ;  indeed,  perhaps  should  be.  But  I 
assert  that  the  pupils  of  the  primary  schools — the 
first  four  years  of  school  life — do  not  have  too 
many  subjects ;  indeed,  except  in  the  German-Eng- 
lish department,  they  do  not  have  variety  enough 
for  the  long  hours  of  tuition  which  the  pupils  of 
our  graded  schools  usually  have  to  spend  in  school, 
as  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  those  who  devote  one- 
half  of  their  school  time  to  a  foreign  language  learn 
fully  as  much  in  the  English  branches  as  those  who 


OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES  211 

do  not,  and  in  some,  as  for  instance  composition, 
even  more.  From  what  has  been  said,  it  is  evi- 
dent that  it  would  be  a  great  mistake  to  postpone 
the  subject  of  German  till  the  children  reach  the 
grammar  or  high  school  grades,  as  many  advocate. 

The  true  place  to  begin  the  study  of  the  Ger- 
man language  is  in  the  lowest  primary  grade — the 
first  school  year. 

The  prevalent  belief  that  the  more  time  there 
id  devoted  in  school  to  any  one  subject  the  more 
the  pupils  will  learn  of  that  subject,  is  the  source 
of  much  of  the  opposition  to  the  study  of  a  foreign 
language,  and  is  the  direct  cause  of  a  vast  amount  of 
pernicious  teaching  in  our  public  schools  of  to-day. 
This  false  idea  leads  many  a  teacher  to  violate  her 
time-table ;  to  give  much  extra  time,  for  instance, 
to  the  subject  of  arithmetic  at  the  cost  of  other 
studies,  in  the  vain  belief  that  the  pupils  will  make 
so  much  more  advancement  in  this  study.  Poor, 
deluded  teachers !  they  forget  that  the  powers  of 
comprehenson  of  the  children  are  limited,  and 
that  no  amount  of  fretting  and  driving,  and  of  ex- 
tra time,  will  teach  them  more  than  a  certain  amount 
— that  is,  more  than  they  can  assimilate ;  and  in  nine 
cases  out  of  ten  that  amount  is  reached  in  the  reg- 
ular time  devoted  to  arithmetic  in  the  program  of 
recitations.  The  extra  time  is  usually  worse  than 
wasted ;  its  effect  is  only  to  weary  the  children,  to 
disgust  them  with  the  subject,  and  make  them  dis- 


212  OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES 

like  teacher  and  school.  Let  me  say  here  that  en- 
tirely too  much  importance  is  placed  upon  mathe- 
matics in  this  country,  and,  consequently,  too  much 
time  is  given  to  it  even  in  the  school  programs,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  extra  work — an  error  not  made 
in  the  schools  of  Germany.  Don't  misunderstand 
me :  I  do  not  say  that  too  much  ground  is  cov- 
ered in  mathematics,  but  that  too  much  time  is 
given  to  it.  In  my  opinion,  there  is  enough  time 
wasted  by  pupils  while  passing  through  the  course 
of  study  of  most  of  our  city  school  systems  in 
solving  a  useless  multiplicity  of  problems  in  math- 
ematics— many  of  which  are  at  the  time  beyond  the 
comprehension  of  the  children,  and  which  they 
only  work  mechanically  after  memorized  forms — for 
them,  if  taught  correctly,  to  learn  a  foreign  lan- 
guage, and  at  the  same  time  to  become  more  profi- 
cient in  mathematics. 

How  much  better  it  would  be  for  the  intellec- 
tual development  of  the  children,  how  much  more 
practical  for  them  in  after  years,  if  language,  and 
not  mathematics,  were  made  the  leading  study  in 
our  educational  systems ! 

Too  MANY  HOURS  OF  TUITION 

My  investigations  into  the  subject  of  the  effect 
of  the  study  of  German  in  the  English  branches 
led  me  to  conclude  that  the  hours  which  the  pupils 


OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES  213 

were  daily  kept  in  school  were  too  many.  In  this 
view  I  was  strengthened  by  the  report  of  the  half- 
day  schools  established  in  London  for  boys  who  are 
compelled  by  necessity  to  work  part  of  their  time 
in  shops,  stores,  etc.  The  directors  naturally  fell 
into  the  common  error  of  supposing  that,  since 
these  boys  attended  school  only  one-half  of  the 
time,  they  could  therefore  learn  only  one-half  as 
much.  To  their  surprise  and  astonishment  they 
found,  after  careful  and  thorough  examinations, 
that  the  progress  of  these  pupils  in  their  studies 
was  not  only  equal  to,  but  in  some  respects  even 
surpassed,  that  of  those  who  attended  the  all-day 
school.  My  convictions  became  so  strong  that  the 
hours  of  tuition  were  too  long,  that  one  of  my  first 
official  acts,  on  my  election  in  1874  to  the  super- 
intendency  of  the  Cincinnati  schools,  was  to  rec- 
ommend to  the  Board  of  Education  the  reduction 
of  the  time  to  four  and  a  half  hours  in  the  two 
lowest  grades,  and  to  five  and  a  half  hours  in  the 
remaining  grades.  Many  of  the  members  of  the 
Board  expressed  their  fears  that  such  a  reduction 
would  be  detrimental  to  the  progress  of  the  pu- 
pils. I  assured  them,  on  the  other  hand,  that  it 
would  be  a  benefit  to  the  pupils  and  teachers,  and 
promised  to  assume  all  the  responsibility  of  the 
change. 

The  recommendation  was  adopted,  and  experi- 
ence has  shown  that  my  judgment  was  correct. 


214  OCCASIONAL   ADDRESSES 

No  one  has  ever  even  suggested  a  return  to  the 
old  hours. 

I  wish  that  Boards  of  Education,  superintend- 
ents, and  teachers  of  English  of  other  localities, 
who  complain  that  in  their  five  or  six  hours  a  day 
they  haven't  time  enough  for  the  introduction  of 
another  branch  of  study,  would  examine  the  course 
of  study  in  English,  which  will  compare  favorably 
with  any  in  the  land,  and  then  go  into  the  Ger- 
man-English department  of  the  primary  grades  of 
the  Cincinnati  schools,  and  see  the  excellence  with 
which  the  course  is  taught  in  the  less  than  two  and 
a  fourth  hours  per  day.  Yes,  let  the  Board  of  Ed- 
ucation of  some  of  our  large  Western  cities,  who 
give  from  twenty  minutes  to  a  half -hour  a  day  to 
teaching  the  German  language,  come  with  them, 
and  examine  the  progress  of  the  pupils  in  both 
English  and  German.  I  know  that  they  would 
return  home  and  give  to  the  study  of  the  German 
language  a  reasonable  amount  of  time ;  for  they 
would  then  be  convinced  that  they  could  do  so 
without  injury  to  the  English  branches. 

WHY  SELECT  THE  GERMAN  LANGUAGE? 

The  introduction  of  the  German  language  into 
the  public  schools  of  our  country  has,  unfortunately 
for  the  interests  of  education,  met  with  much  prej- 
udicial opposition ;  and  is,  even  among  educators, 
somewhat  of  a  vexed  question. 


OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES  215 

One  of  the  most  common  objections  raised  is, 
that  if  you  admit  one  foreign  language  into  the 
curriculum  of  our  common  schools,  every  foreign 
community  in  our  midst  has  an  equal  claim  to  spe- 
cial teaching  for  their  children  in  its  mother 
tongue.  The  Jew  has  by  induction  a  right  to  a 
class  in  Hebrew,  the  Irishman  to  instruction  in 
Irish,  and  so  on ;  and  that,  to  meet  the  require- 
ments of  the  polyglot  people  in  our  midst,  a  staff 
of  special  teachers  should  in  justice  be  maintained 
by  our  city.  Such  an  argument  is  based  upon  fal- 
lacious reasoning.  To  say  nothing  of  the  vast 
number  of  tax-paying  Germans  among  us,  the 
German  language  is,  side  by  side  with  the  Eng- 
lish, the  language  of  the  commerce  of  the  world. 
As  the  French  was  for  centuries  the  court  language 
of  Europe,  ours  and  the  German  tongue  are,  from 
the  vast  ramifications  of  the  people,  the  media  of 
international  trade  among  modern  civilized  races. 

It  is  not  the  means  of  communication  of  an  in- 
dividual nation  merely,  but  it  is  a  tongue  common 
to  educated  persons  of  all  nations.  Its  close  alli- 
ance with  our  own  Anglo-Saxon  speech  makes  its 
study,  to  the  cultivated  American,  an  especial  ne- 
cessity. True,  Italian  and  Hebrew  are  beautiful 
languages,  and  their  study  must  give  a  higher  tone 
to  the  minds  of  those  who  master  them ;  but  they 
are  too  restricted  in  their  cosmopolitan  usefulness 
to  demand  their  introduction  into  our  schools.  But 


216  OCCASIONAL   ADDRESSES 

it  is  said,  "Why  teach  any  foreign  language?" 
Because  the  study  of  a  language  is  so  essential  to 
the  training  of  the  mind.  There  is  no  discipline  so 
perfect,  no  means  so  effective  in  inducing  thought, 
as  the  study  of  a  foreign  tongue.  Lord  Brougham 
said  that  a  man  was  but  half  educated  who  did  not 
know  two  languages;  that  he  had  better  learn 
Choctaw  than  to  be  without  the  mental  discipline 
of  the  study  of  a  foreign  tongue.  Besides,  it  gives 
the  pupils,  through  the  derivation  of  words,  a  more 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  English  language ;  and 
as  each  lesson  in  translation  is  an  exercise  in  Eng- 
lish composition,  it  makes  them  more  accurate  and 
fluent  writers  of  English.  If,  then,  this  course 
of  instruction  is  so  essential,  what  can  be  said 
against  selecting  for  our  children  a  language  that 
is  so  comprehensive  as  the  German,  that  is  inter- 
woven with  the  elements  of  the  English  tongue, 
and  is  so  intensely  practically  useful  in  our  trans- 
actions with  thousands  of  our  citizens  in  every 
State  of  our  Union?  Besides,  our  German  fellow- 
citizens  are  among  the  strongest  supporters  of  our 
public  schools,  and  that  support  is  worth  a  hundred 
times  more  than  the  cost  of  German  instruction ; 
and  if  no  other  reason  could  be  advanced  for  its 
study,  this  alone  would  amply  justify  its  introduc- 
tion into  the  schools  of  our  country  But,  fortu- 
nately, its  advocates  do  not  have  to  base  their  sup- 
port upon  any  such  ground.  The  German  language, 


OCCASIONAL   ADDRESSES  217 

the  mother  tongue  of  the  most  enlightened  nation 
of  the  continent  of  Europe,  is,  next  to  the  English, 
the  language,  as  I  have  said,  of  the  commerce  of 
the  world.  It  has  a  grand  literature.  It  is  of 
great  practical  value  in  the  every -day  life  of  our 
people.  Besides,  I  repeat  again,  the  study  of  two 
languages  assists  the  pupils  in  acquiring  a  knowl- 
edge of  each,  and  does  not  retard  the  progress  in 
either.  Yes,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  the  advantages 
derived  from  studying  two  languages  at  the  same 
time  would  amply  justify  the  introduction  of  a  for- 
eign language  into  the  curriculum  of  the  schools 
of  our  country,  even  if  there  were  no  citizens  of 
foreign  birth  within  our  borders. 

If  there  were  not  a  German  or  a  Frenchman 
in  this  country,  I  would  advocate,  on  educational 
grounds,  the  introduction  of  the  one  or  the  other 
of  these  languages  into  the  public  schools.  Of 
course,  the  great  number  of  German-speaking  peo- 
ple in  this  part  of  the  country  is  the  especial  rea- 
son why  German  should  be  preferred  here,  while 
in  New  Orleans,  for  similar  reason,  French  should 
have  the  preference. 

GERMANIZING  THE  CHILDREN 

"  But,"  it  is  said,  "  this  is  America,  and  there- 
fore the  English  language  only  should  be  taught  in 
the  public  schools ;  teaching  the  German  language 


218  OCCASIONAL   ADDRESSES 

tends  to  make  our  citizens  less  patriotic,  less  Amer- 
ican." "Are,"  I  ask,  "General  Carl  Schurz,  Gen- 
eral Franz  Sigel,  and  the  tens  of  thousands  of  other 
Germans  who  fought  in  the  Union  army  in  the 
last  war,  any  less  true  American  citizens,  any  less 
patriotic,  because  they  were  educated  in  the  Ger- 
man tongue?  Are  our  German  fellow-citizens  any 
less  patriotic  than  the  English  whose  mother  tongue 
is  that  of  our  country?  Are  the  Germans  in  their 
native  land  any  less  devoted  to  the  institutions  of 
Germany,  because  the  French  language  is  taught 
in  thousands  of  their  schools?"  No  one,  I  think, 
would  answer  these  questions  in  the  affirmative. 
And  until  they  can  be  so  answered  it  is  idle  to  say 
that  a  knowledge  of,  or  the  teaching  of,  German 
or  any  other  foreign  language  is  adverse  to  patri- 
otism. The  truth  is,  that  our  German  fellow- 
citizens  are  noted  for  their  attachment  to  the  free 
institutions  of  America,  and  are  among  our  most 
patriotic  citizens,  as  a  class  much  more  so  than  the 
English. 

In  this  connection  let  me  add  that  the  study 
of  the  German  language  was  introduced  into  the 
public  schools  of  Ohio  in  184-0,  by  an  Act  of  the 
State  Legislature  requiring  all  Boards  of  Educa- 
tion in  the  State  to  cause  the  German  language  to 
be  taught  when  demanded  by  seventy-five  free- 
holders representing  not  less  than  forty  pupils,  and 
it  has  been  taught  in  the  schools  of  Cincinnati,  and 


OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES  219 

in  many  other  places  of  the  county  of  Hamilton, 
Ohio,  ever  since.  And  the  statistics  show  that 
Hamilton  County  Bent  more  Union  soldiers  to  the 
late  Civil  "War  than  General  Washington  com- 
manded at  any  one  time  in  the  Revolution,  and  a 
very  large  proportion  of  them  were  either  Germans 
or  of  German  descent.  Does  this  fact  look  as  if 
the  introduction  of  the  German  language  into  the 
schools  of  that  county  had  made  her  citizens  un- 
patriotic? 

OKQANIZATION  OF  THE  GERMAN  DEPARTMENT 

Having  spoken  at  length  upon  the  importance 
of  teaching  the  German  language  in  the  public 
schools,  I  will  now  give  you  a  description  of  the 
Cincinnati  plan  of  organization  of  the  German  de- 
partment, which  I  consider  the  best  in  the  country. 
Had  St.  Louis  adopted  it,  as  I  recommended  some 
years  ago,  her  citizens  would  now  be  enjoying  the 
benefits  of  one  of  the  finest  German  departments 
in  the  country,  one  worthy  of  that  great  city,  and 
without  which  her  educational  interests  are  suffer- 
ing to-day. 

German  is  tanght  in  every  one  of  the  district, 
intermediate,  and  high  schools,  and  forms  a  flour- 
ishing department  in  the  Cincinnati  Normal  School. 
In  the  four  lower  grades  of  the  district  schools,  one- 
half  of  the  school  time  (less  two  hours  a  week  de- 


220  OCCASIONAL   ADDRESSES 

voted  in  this  department  to  music  and  drawing)  is 
given  to  German.  In  all  grades  above  the  fourth 
year  one  hour  is  devoted  to  its  study.  In  the  four 
lower  grades  of  the  district  schools,  German  is 
taught,  as  a  rule,  hy  lady  teachers  under  the  su- 
pervision of  the  first  German  assistant,  or  German 
principal  as  he  is  sometimes  called,  whose  duty  it  is 
to  teach  the  German  in  the  highest,  D  (fifth  year) 
grade,  and  supervise  the  instruction  in  the  lower 
grades.  In  the  intermediate  and  high  schools,  all 
the  teaching  is  done  by  the  first  German  assistants 
themselves,  except  in  three  schools  where  an  addi- 
tional teacher  is  employed. 

It  will  readily  be  seen  that  by  the  Cincinnati 
plan,  comparatively  very  little  is  added  to  the  cost 
of  maintaining  the  schools  in  consequence  of  instruc- 
tion in  German.  Only  the  cost  of  supervision  and  the 
teaching  in  the  upper  grades  is  the  additional  ex- 
pense ;  in  other  words,  the  teaching  of  German  to  the 
eighteen  and  a  half  thousand  children  adds  to  the 
tuitionary  cost  of  the  schools  only  the  cost  of  su- 
pervision, and  the  teaching  of  the  hour  classes  in 
the  upper  grades.  The  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
one  German  teachers  of  the  half -day  classes  add 
nothing  to  the  expense ;  for  they,  with  the  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-one  English  teachers  who  alter- 
nate with  them,  teach  the  same  number  of  pupils 
that  would  otherwise  be  taught  by  two  hundred  and 
forty -two  English  teachers ;  or  in  other  words,  if 


OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES  221 

German  were  abolished,  it  would  require  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-one  additional  English  teachers  to 
take  the  places  of  that  number  of  German  teachers 
and,  as  the  salaries  are  the  same,  there  would  be 
no  difference  in  the  expense  of  the  schools. 

Of  course,  the  preceding  statement  is  based 
upon  the  supposition  that  our  German  fellow-citi- 
zens would  not  withdraw  their  children  from  the 
schools,  if  instruction  in  the  German  language  were 
discontinued.  "We  know,  however,  the  fact  is,  that 
many  German  parents  would  withdraw  their  chil- 
dren, and  place  them  where  they  would  be  taught 
the  tongue  so  dear,  and  deservedly  so,  as  one  of 
the  three  great  languages  of  the  civilized  world,  to 
a  large  part  of  the  people  of  our  city. 

Again,  by  the  Cincinnati  plan  the  exchange  of 
classes  takes  place  at  the  noon  recess ;  hence  there 
is  no  clashing,  no  disturbing  of  recitations,  and  as 
the  pupils  do  as  satisfactory  work  in  English  as 
those  in  the  purely  English  department  there  is  no 
opposition  engendered,  on  the  part  of  the  English 
teachers,  against  the  study  of  German  in  these 
grades ;  in  fact,  these  English  teachers  are  in  favor 
of  German  instruction.  Moreover,  the  Cincinnati 
plan  gives  time  enough  for  excellent  results  in  the 
instruction,  as  may  be  seen  by  the  German  teachers 
furnished  to  the  country  every  year  by  the  Cincin- 
nati Normal  School,  nearly  every  one  of  whose 
graduates  receives  her  entire  school  education  in 


222  OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES 

the  public  schools  of  that  city.  In  this  connection, 
I  quote  from  Professor  Constantin  Grebner,  who 
was  delegated  by  the  Board  of  Education,  in  1884, 
to  examine  and  report  upon  the  proficiency  of  the 
graduating  class  of  that  year.  He  said:  "One 
more  point  of  the  utmost  importance  remains  to 
be  taken  into  consideration ;  namely,  these  young 
ladies,  who  are  soon  to  go  into  the  schools  of  this 
city,  there  to  teach  German,  speak  that  language 
so  fluently  and  so  correctly,  and  with  so  little  of 
that  accent  which  is  generally  found  to  be  simply 
unavoidable  with  German- Americans  brought  up 
together  in  America,  that  most  undoubtedly  not 
one  of  them  will  ever  give  rise  to  complaints  that 
she  has  undertaken  to  teach  German  without  being 
able  to  speak  it  correctly." 

Let  me  say  here,  that  if  the  time  now  devoted 
to  German  shall  ever  be  so  reduced  as  to  cause 
the  discontinuation  of  the  half -day  plan,  it  will  be 
the  beginning  of  the  downfall  of  German  instruc- 
tion in  the  Cincinnati  schools.  The  half -day  plan 
is  one  of  the  strong  and  preservative  features  of 
the  German  department :  it  gives  time  for  the 
best  results  in  the  instruction,  it  insures  harmony 
and  co-operation  on  the  part  of  the  English  teach- 
ers, and  it  adds  comparatively  little  to  the  expense 
of  the  schools.  Another  strong  feature  is  the  su- 
pervision of  the  male  German  first  assistants. 

Intelligent  supervision  is  absolutely  necessary  to 


OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES  223 

the  highest  success  of  any  department  of  education. 
It  is  directive  talent  that  is  needed  to  guide, 
broaden,  and  unify  the  instruction,  and  thereby  se- 
cure the  highest  results.  Besides,  the  German  first 
assistants  materially  aid  the  principals  in  the  disci- 
pline and  management  of  the  schools. 

A  SUGGESTION  AS  TO  THE  METHOD  OF  TEACHING 

Allow  me  to  make  a  suggestion  as  to  the  method 
of  teaching  German.  In  Cincinnati,  and  doubtless 
in  many  other  places,  it  is  taught  largely  as  a  native 
language.  This  is  the  best  plan  for  those  who 
speak  German  at  home ;  but  it  is  not  so  good  for 
the  others.  They  need  more  practice  in  school  in 
talking,  in  conversation,  in  translation  than  the 
others.  Indeed,  the  most  forcible  objection  ad- 
vanced by  the  opponents  of  our  position  is,  that 
the  children  of  non-German-speaking  families  do 
not  learn  at  our  schools  enough  of  the  German 
language  to  speak  it.  While  the  charge  is  en- 
tirely too  sweeping — for  there  are  those  who  never 
speak  German  at  home,  yet  who  learn  at  school  to 
speak  and  write  the  language  so  correctly  that 
they  are  capable  not  only  of  holding  conversation 
in  German,  but  of  giving  excellent  instruction  in 
the  language — still  it  must  be  admitted  that  there 
is  some  truth  in  the  charge.  This  can  be  readily 
remedied  by  giving  especial  attention  to  teaching 


224  OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES 

the  pupils  to  talk  the  language.  This  partial  neg- 
lect in  this  direction  has  grown  out  of  the  fact  that 
the  mother-tongue  of  a  great  majority  of  the  chil- 
dren in  the  German  department  of  our  schools  is 
German;  and,  therefore,  to  teach  it  as  a  native 
tongue  is  the  natural  method  for  all  such  children. 
As  the  best  methods  of  teaching  the  two  classes  of 
children  referred  to  are  radically  different,  it 
would  be  for  the  highest  interests  of  both  if  they 
could  be  separated,  but  this  is  in  many  places  im- 
practicable. We  should  then,  in  order  to  do  our 
duty  to  the  minority,  compromise,  and  adapt  our 
methods  more  fully  to  their  needs,  that  no  pupil 
of  ordinary  intelligence  may  hereafter  pass  through 
the  German  department  of  the  public  schools  with- 
out being  able  to  converse  intelligently  in  the  lan- 
guage, at  least  on  common,  every-day  subjects. 

GERMAN  METHODS  OF  INSTRUCTION 

Ladies  and  gentlemen,  are  you  aware  that  the 
superior  methods  of  imparting  instruction  in  the 
English  branches,  which  have  long  prevailed  in  Cin- 
cinnati and  in  other  cities  and  towns  of  the  "West, 
are  German  methods?  They  were  introduced 
many  years  ago  through  the  German  teachers  and 
trustees  who  brought  them  from  their  fatherland, 
and  through  the  admirable  reports  of  Dr.  C.  E. 
Stowe  (the  husband  of  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe),  who 


OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES  225 

was  appointed  by  the  State  of  Ohio  to  examine  the 
schools  of  Germany,  and  to  report  on  the  methods 
of  intr notion  employed  therein. 

Yon  have  heard  much  of  late  years  of  the  "  New 
Education,"  the  "  Quincy  Methods. "  What  are 
these  so-called  "Quincy  Methods?"  They  are 
methods  introduced  into  the  schools  of  Quincy, 
Mass.,  by  Colonel  F.  "W.  Parker,  who  came  to 
Ohio  some  time  in  the  sixties,  taught  in  the  public 
schools  of  Cleveland,  and  in  the  Dayton  Nor- 
mal School,  and  subsequently  returned  to  his  na- 
tive New  England,  carrying  with  him  the  methods 
of  instruction  he  had  found  here,  and  after  a  visit 
to  Germany  introduced  them,  slightly  modified, 
into  the  schools  of  Quincy.  "What  are  they?" 
I  ask  again.  They  are  the  German  methods  here- 
tofore spoken  of,  substantially  the  same  methods 
that  have  been  pursued  in  our  Western  schools  for 
many  years  before  they  were  ever  heard  of  in 
Quincy,  before  the  pen  of  Charles  Francis  Adams 
had  made  them  famous,  before  they  had  revolu- 
tionized the  primary  instruction  in  the  city  of  Bos- 
ton and  the  East.  Under  these  methods  of  in- 
struction introduced  from  Germany,  the  children 
make  much  more  rapid  progress  than  under  the  old. 
Consider  that,  less  than  fifteen  years  ago,  the  ABC 
method  of  teaching  primary  reading  was  pursued 
in  many  towns  of  New  England ;  that  the  slate  was 

not  put  into  the  hands  of  the  pupils  till  they  had 
15 


226  OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES 

been  years  at  school ;  that  then  came  the  lead-pen- 
cil, and  years  after  the  pen.  Did  you  not  see,  at 
the  Centennial  Exposition  at  Philadelphia,  hundreds 
of  specimens  of  writing  from  entire  classes  of  pu- 
pils of  an  average  age  of  from  eight  to  ten,  and  even 
more  years,  executed  with  a  lead-pencil,  because 
those  Yankee  schoolmasters  thought  the  children 
too  young  to  use  the  pen?  When  we  consider 
that  ' '  object-lessons, ' '  or  the  objective  method  of 
teaching,  was  unknown  at  that  time  in  the  schools 
referred  to ;  that  the  memorizing  of  the  text-book, 
word  for  word,  was  the  sine  qua  non  of  a  good  rec- 
itation, and  so  on  ad  infinitum,  we  do  not  won- 
der that  when  Colonel  Parker  introduced  Western 
methods  into  the  schools  of  Quincy,  the  people 
of  the  East  thought  that  a  new  era  had  dawned, 
and  cried :  The  "  New  Education;"  the  "  Quincy 
Methods."  Why,  there  isn't  a  German  within 
the  sound  of  my  voice ;  there  is  n't  a  person  edu- 
cated within  the  last  twenty-five  years,  at  least,  in  the 
public  schools  of  Cincinnati,  or  of  those  of  many 
other  Western  cities  we  can  name,  who  did  not  re- 
ceive instruction  under  essentially  the  same  meth- 
ods as  those  which  have  made  the  schools  of  Quincy 
famous.  The  American  people,  especially  in  this 
part  of  the  country,  should  be  profoundly  grateful 
for  what  the  Germans  have  done,  through  their  su- 
perior methods  of  teaching,  for  our  educational  in- 
terests. 


OCCASIONAL  ADDRESSES  227 

Too  much  praise  can  not  be  given  the  Germans 
for  what  their  advanced  methods  have  accom- 
plished in  reforming,  elevating,  and  perfecting 
the  modes  of  instruction  in  the  schools  of  our 
land. 

CONCLUSION 

To  those  who  oppose  German  instruction  in 
our  public  schools,  let  me  say  that  the  statement 
that  the  cost  is  great  has  been  shown  to  be  without 
foundation  in  places  where  the  best  and  most  effi- 
cient organization  of  the  department  is  effected. 
The  belief  that  the  study  of  the  German  language 
retards  the  progress  of  the  children  in  English  has 
been  completely  overthrown  by  the  statistics.  The 
statement  that  this  is  America,  and  therefore  we 
ought  to  teach  the  English  language  only,  is  not 
worthy  of  notice  The  assertion  that  the  study  of 
German  tends  to  Germanize  our  pupils,  and  make 
them  less  loyal  to  our  country,  is  not  borne  "out  by 
the  facts.  Besides,  your  sons  and  daughters  are 
not  compelled  to  study  German,  as  it  is  an  op- 
tional branch.  Why,  then,  object  to  others  en- 
joying its  advantages?  I  have  never  heard  the 
first  valid  reason  offered  against  the  study  of  Ger- 
man, and  I  believe  that  every  intelligent  man  who 
will  thoroughly  investigate  the  subject  free  from 
all  prejudice,  must  come  to  the  same  conclusion  as 
I  have ;  viz. ,  that  the  study  of  two  languages  is 


228  OCCASIONAL   ADDRESSES 

for  the  best  interest  of  the  pupils.  I  not  only 
thoroughly  believe  in  the  German  department  of 
our  schools,  but  I  am  convinced  that  it  would  be 
better  for  the  intellectual  development  of  our  pu- 
pils if  they  all  studied  the  German  language  in 
connection  with  the  English.  Besides,  it  would  be 
better  for  the  interests  of  this  great  commercial 
country  of  ours  if  much  more  attention  was  paid 
in  her  schools  and  colleges  to  learning  the  great 
living  language  of  modern  civilization  It  is  a 
lamentable  fact,  indeed,  that  few  Anglo-Americans 
can  be  found  who  can  speak  any  other  tongue  than 
the  English,  while  there  are  thousands  of  Germans 
of  kindred  birth  in  our  midst  who  are  able  to  con- 
verse well  in  at  least  three  languages ;  and  this  is 
to  be  attributed  mainly  to  the  difference  in  the  ed- 
ucational policies  in  the  two  countries. 

Ladies  and  gentlemen,  may  the  time  come  when 
our  people  may  be  equally  wise  and  far-seeing  in 
their  educational  policy !  This  is  my  sincere  wish 
and  ardent  desire. 


Pedagogic   Hints 

(FOR  TEACHERS) 


229 


"THE  TENS   METHOD"    OF  TEACHING 
ADDITION  AND  SUBTRACTION 

INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS 

WHEN  principal  of  the  Second  Intermediate 
School,  I  found  that  pupils  on  entering  the  inter- 
mediate from  the  district  schools — that  is,  on  pass- 
ing from  the  fifth  to  the  sixth  school-year — were 
deficient  in  the  abstract  work  of  the  four  funda- 
mental rules  of  arithmetic.  They  could  not,  as  a 
rule,  add  and  subtract,  multiply,  and  divide  with 
facility.  This  led  me,  early  in  the  fall  following 
my  election  to  the  superintendency,  to  examine 
into  these  subjects;  to  investigate  the  methods 
pursued  in  teaching  the  same,  and  the  results  ob- 
tained. I  found  class  after  class  of  pupils  in  the 
F  Grade  (third  year),  who,  when  forbidden  to 
count  on  their  fingers,  required  on  an  average 
three-quarters  of  a  minute  to  a  minute  and  a  half 
to  add  such  numbers  as  7  and  8. 

The  causes  of  this  state  of  things  were  found 

to  be  two :  First,  nearly  the  entire  time  allowed  to 

arithmetic  was  given  to  solving  problems  on  slates, 

even  by  pupils  in  G  Grade,  the  second  year  of 

231 


232  PEDAGOGIC  HINTS 

school,  and  in  the  solution  of  their  problems  the  chil- 
dren were  allowed  to  count  on  their  fingers,  or  by 
unit  marks  made  with  their  pencils ;  and,  second, 
in  the  grades  above  the  G,  much  time  was  spent  by 
the  pupils  in  learning  to  solve  complicated  prob- 
lems which  were  often  beyond  the  comprehension 
of  the  children,  and  which,  in  general,  they  solved 
mechanically,  according  to  memorized  forms. 

It  was  evident  that  the  whole  system  should  be 
changed.  A  new  course  of  study  was  prepared, 
with  especial  reference  to  obtaining,  on  the  part  of 
the  pupils,  accuracy  and  facility  in  the  fundamental 
rules  of  arithmetic.  This  course  not  only  made  a 
more  natural  division  of  the  work  to  be  performed 
by  the  several  grades,  but  limited  it  in  denominate 
numbers,  in  H,  G,  and  F  Grades,  to  examples  in- 
volving but  one  operation,  and  in  the  E  and  D 
Grades  to  those  involving  two  operations.  In  the 
preparation  of  the  course  for  the  H  and  G  Grades 
(first  and  second  years)  an  entire  change  in  the 
method  of  teaching  addition  and  subtraction  was 
contemplated.  The  method  which  was  introduced, 
and  which  I  designated  as  the  "  Tens  Method  "  or 
"Tens  Plan,"  did  away  entirely  with  the  addition 
and  subtraction  tables  previously  in  use  in  the 
schools. 

Let  me  say,  in  the  outset,  there  is  nothing  new 
in  the  way  in  which  addition  and  subtraction  are 
performed ;  but  the  method  of  teaching  the  subjects 


PEDAGOGIC  HINTS  233 

is  entirely  original.  Since  its  introduction  into  the 
Cincinnati  schools,  it  has  been  adopted,  in  full  or  in 
part,  in  many  other  places. 

In  justice  to  both  methods  it  should  be  stated 
here  that,  in  some  places  where  it  is  used,  it  is  er- 
roneously called  the  * '  Grube  Method. ' '  The 
"Tens  Method"  originated  in  the  necessity  of 
finding  some  plan  by  which  pupils  could  add  or 
subtract  two  numbers,  the  sum  or  difference  of 
which  they  did  not  know,  without  resorting  to 
counting  by  ones.  Experience  has  shown  that  pu- 
pils taught  by  this  method  never  resort  to  counting 
by  units. 


In  response  to  the  earnest  request  of  General 
John  Eaton,  United  States  Commissioner  of  Edu- 
cation, and  of  other  distinguished  educators,  who 
had  witnessed  the  excellent  results  obtained  by  the 
' '  Tens  Method ' '  of  teaching  addition  and  sub- 
traction in  the  primary  grades  of  our  schools,  I 
gave  a  brief  explanation  of  the  same  in  the  Fifty- 
third  Annual  Report  of  the  Cincinnati  Public 
Schools ;  and  as  I  have  received,  from  time  to  time, 
since  my  retirement  from  active  school  work,  let- 
ters making  inquiries  in  regard  to  this  method,  I 
have  concluded  to  reproduce  my  article  in  this 


234  PEDAGOGIC  HINTS 

book  for  the  benefit  of  such  teachers  as  may  care 
to  read  it.  But  before  doing  so,  I  desire  to  make 
a  short  statement  of  the  way  in  which  the  ' '  Tens 
Method ' '  was  introduced ;  for  the  manner  of  its  in- 
troduction demonstrates,  to  my  mind,  the  superior 
excellence  of  this  plan  of  teaching  addition  and  sub- 
traction in  the  primary  grades.  It  was  as  follows : 
After  having  given  the  teachers  of  H  and  G  Grades 
a  very  full  and  careful  explanation  of  the  various 
steps  to  be  followed  in  the  teaching,  and  after  hav- 
ing stated  my  reasons  for  believing  in  the  superi- 
ority of  the  method  over  others,  I  said  to  them 
that  what  was  wanted  were  accuracy  and  facility 
in  addition  and  subtraction  of  numbers;  that  if 
they  were  able  to  get  good  results  from  their  pupils 
in  these  particulars,  it  mattered  not  to  me  whether 
they  followed  this  or  any  other  good  method. 
Moreover,  I  assured  them  that  if  any  one  found  a 
better  method  than  the  one  I  proposed,  then  I 
wanted  that  method  introduced  into  the  schools; 
for  my  desire  was  to  assist  the  teachers  to  improve 
the  instruction,  and  not  to  compel  them  to  adopt 
any  particular  mode  of  teaching.  I  also  stated 
that  I  should  visit  their  respective  schools,  from 
time  to  time,  to  see  how  they  succeeded  in  their 
work  in  number ;  and,  moreover,  informed  them 
that  I  should  give  their  pupils  two  oral  examina- 
tions in  number  within  the  school  year. 

Many  of  the  teachers  took  up  the  method  at 


PEDAGOGIC  HINTS  235 

once ;  others  did  not.  The  results  of  the  exam- 
inations showed  that  the  pupils  of  those  teachers 
who  made  use  of  the  ' '  Tens  Method ' '  did  much 
more  accurate  and  rapid  work  than  the  others. 

Without  going  into  details,  it  is  sufficient  to 
say,  that  the  teachers  who  did  not  adopt  the  method 
during  the  first  year,  did  so  afterwards,  and  of  their 
own  accord ;  for  they  were  constrained  to  do  it  in 
order  to  obtain  better  results  from  their  classes. 

GENERAL  DIRECTIONS 

For  the  first  school  year  the  course  consists  of 
addition  and  subtraction  of  numbers  as  high  as 
10,  and  of  analyzing  each  number  from  1  to  10 
into  any  two  integral  parts. 

The  analysis  or  resolution  of  numbers  into  parts, 
is  where  this  method  begins  to  differ  from  the 
' '  Grube  Method, ' '  or  from  any  other  with  which 
I  am  acquainted.  No  tables  are  used  in  imparting 
the  instruction,  and  very  little  written  work  is  re- 
quired of  the  pupils — only  enough  to  enable  them 
to  write  the  numbers  neatly  and  to  recognize  them 
readily  at  sight. 

The  addition,  subtraction,  and  separation  of 
numbers  into  parts  should  be  taken  together,  thus : 
One  and  one  are  two ;  two  are  one  and  one ;  two 
less  one  are  one.  Each  number  should  be  so  thor- 
oughly taught  before  the  next  is  taken  up  that  the 


236  PEDAGOGIC  HINTS 

pupils  will  answer  almost  automatically.  Of  course, 
with  each  new  lesson  a  short  review  of  the  preceding 
numbers  should  be  given.  To  obtain  the  best  re- 
sults, the  pupils  should  be  required  to  answer  in  com- 
plete sentences,  and  fully  one-half  of  the  time  should 
be  given  to  simultaneous  work.  For  example,  to 
the  question,  "  What  are  one  and  one  ?"  the  pupil 
should  not  be  permitted  to  say  two,  but  "  One  mid 
one  are  two  /"  and  then  the  entire  class  should  re- 
peat the  answer, ' l  One  and  one  are  two. ' '  Teachers 
should  bear  in  mind  that  repetition,  repetition, 
BEPETITION  is  needed  to  secure  rapid  and  accurate 
work  in  numbers  on  the  part  of  children. 

Again,  let  me  say  that  one-half  of  the  time  in 
the  number  lesson  should  be  given  to  simultaneous 
repeating.  Do  not  confound  simultaneous  repeti- 
tion with  what  is  usually  called  simultaneous  rec- 
itation. To  ask  a  class  a  question,  and  have  the 
pupils  answer  together,  is  as  near  a  good-for-noth- 
ing practice  as  I  can  well  imagine ;  but  to  have 
the  question  answered  correctly  by  one  of  the  pu- 
pils or  by  the  teacher,  and  then  have  the  entire 
class  repeat  the  answer,  is  a  most  valuable  exercise. 
Individual  recitation,  and  simultaneous  repetition 
by  the  entire  class,  will  hold  the  attention  of  the 
pupils  and  awaken  their  enthusiasm,  and  thereby 
secure  the  best  results.  In  this,  as  in  all  other 
good  methods,  the  exercises  on  each  number  should 
be  taught  at  first  with  objects. 


PEDAGOGIC  HINTS  237 

EXPLANATION — THE  TEACHER  MANIPULATING  THE 
OBJECTS 

In  the  preliminary  lessons,  the  teacher  should 
manipulate  the  objects  after  the  following  manner : 

ADDITION. — The  teacher  takes,  for  example,  two 
pencils,  one  in  each  hand,  and  holding  up  perpendic- 
ularly the  one  in  the  left  hand,  asks,  "  How  many 
pencils  have  I  in  my  left  hand?"  the  children  an- 
swer, ' '  One  pencil^  then,  holding  up  the  one  in  the 
right  hand  in  the  same  manner,  asks,  "  And  how 
many  pencils  have  I  in  my  right  hand?"  the  chil- 
dren answer,  ' '  One  pencil. ' '  The  teacher  then 
brings  the  pencils  together,  and  asks,  "How  many 
pencils  have  I  in  both  hands?"  the  children  an- 
swer, "  Two  pencils."  ""Well  done,  children! 
you  have  answered  correctly.  Now,  I  am  going 
to  put  the  pencils  together  again.  This  time  I 
shall  not  ask  you  any  questions ;  but  when  I  hold 
up  one  of  the  pencils,  you  say  '  One  pencil  /'  and 
when  I  hold  up  the  other  pencil,  you  say  *  a/nd  one 
pencil  /'  and  when  I  put  them  together,  you  say 
( a/re two  pencils. ,'  Heady!  watch  sharply !  Remem- 
ber, you  must  not  say  '  two  pencils '  till  I  put  the 
pencils  together."  "  One  pencil  and  one  pencil 
a/re  tnno  pencils. ' '  The  teacher  should  repeat  the 
work  till  the  children  answer  correctly  and  at  the 
right  time. 


238  PEDAGOGIC  HINTS 

RESOLVING  INTO  PARTS. — The  teacher  holds  up 
two  pencils  together,  and  the  pupils  are  taught  to 
say  "  Two  pencils  are;"  as  he  moves  one  of  the 
pencils  to  the  right,  the  children  say  "one pencil;" 
and  as  he  moves  the  other  pencil  to  the  left,  the 
children  say  '  *  and  one  pencil. "  "  Two  pencils  are 
one  pencil  and  one  pencil. ' '  The  reverse  is  then 
given,  "  One  pencil  and  one  pencil  are  two 
pencils." 

SUBTRACTION. — The  teacher  holds  up  two  pen- 
cils together,  the  one  in  the  left  hand  perpendic- 
ularly as  before ;  but  the  one  in  the  right  hand, 
which  he  is  going  to  take  away  and  put  behind 
him,  he  holds  obliquely  across  the  other,  to  indi- 
cate to  the  children  that  he  is  about  to  take  away 
or  subtract  the  one  thus  held ;  as  he  holds  up  the 
pencils  in  the  manner  stated,  the  children  say, ' '  Two 
pencils  less,"  and  as  he  removes  the  pencil,  the  chil- 
dren say  ' '  one  pencil, ' '  and  as  he  places  it  behind 
him,  the  children,  looking  at  the  one  remaining,  say 
4 '  are  one  pencil. "  "  Two  pencils,  less  one  pencil, 
are  one  pencil. ' '  Or  the  teacher  may  have  the  chil- 
dren say,  "  One  pencil  from  two  pencils  leaves  one 
pencil. ' '  Practice  should  be  given  till  the  pupils 
answer  correctly  in  all  these  exercises,  conforming 
their  answers  to  the  action  of  the  teacher.  After 
this  the  teacher  takes  three  pencils,  and  proceeds 
in  a  similar  manner. 


PEDAGOGIC  HINTS  239 


EXPLANATION  —  THE    PUPILS   MANIPULATING  THE 
OBJECTS 

(2)  To  make  plain  each  step  taken  in  teaching 
a  number,  let  us  suppose  the  lesson  to  be  on  the 
number  Five,  and  each  pupil  to  be  provided  with 
ten  balls,  strung  on  a  wire  on  the  desk  before  him.19 

ADDITION. — All  the  balls  being  on  the  right 
side  of  the  desk  (it  is  immaterial  which  side,  pro- 
vided they  are  all  on  the  same  side),  the  pupils 
move  four  of  them  six  inches  to  the  left,  and  just 
before  they  take  their  fingers  from  the  balls  they 
say  "Four  balls,"  and  as  they  move  the  fourth  ball 
they  say,  "  and  one  ball,"  and  just  as  it  touches 
the  four,  "  areftoe  balls  "  (four  balls  and  one  ball 
are  five  balls).  They  should  then  give  the  reverse 
(one  ball  and  four  balls  are  five  balls).  They  then 
move  three  balls  and  two  balls  (three  balls  and  two 
balls  are  five  balls),  and  thenHhe  reverse  (two  balls 
and  three  balls  are  five  balls).  These  four  opera- 
tions complete  the  process  of  ' '  making  five. ' ' 

KESOLUTION  INTO  PARTS. — The  pupils  then, 
placing  the  fingers  on  the  five  balls,  which  are  now 
together  but  separated  from  the  others,  say,  "Five 
balls  are,"  and  immediately  moving  four  of  them 
three  or  four  inches  to  the  right,  and  before  taking 
the  fingers  from  them,  say,  "four  balls,"  and  then 
removing  the  fingers  and  touching  the  one  they 


240  PEDAGOGIC  HINTS 

say,  '  *  and  one  ball ' '  (five  balls  are  four  balls  and 
one  ball).  They  then  give  the  reverse  (five  balls 
are  one  ball  and  four  balls).  They  next  separate 
five  balls  into  three  balls  and  two  balls  (five  balls  are 
three  balls  and  two  balls),  and  the  reverse  (five  balls 
are  two  balls  and  three  balls). 

SUBTRACTION. — The  pupils  now  bring  the  two 
balls  and  three  balls  together  again.  They  then 
say  "five  balls,"  and,  moving  four  of  them  to  the 
right,  they  say  "less  four  balls,"  and  then,  remov- 
ing the  fingers  and  touching  the  ball  remaining,  they 
say  ' '  are  one  ball ' '  (five  balls  less  four  balls  are  one 
ball).  They  then  give  the  reverse  (five  balls  less 
one  ball  are  four  balls).  •  Then  bringing  the  balls 
together  again,  they  move  three  balls  to  the  right 
(five  balls  less  three  balls  are  two  balls),  and  the  re- 
verse (five  balls  less  two  balls  are  three  balls). 

The  pupils  should  practice  the  foregoing  oper- 
ations until  they  can  perform  them  with  accuracy 
and  rapidity.  At  first  they  should  name  the  ob- 
jects; then  dropping  the  names,  they  should  give 
the  numbers  as  they  move  the  balls;  thus,  Four 
and  one  are  five,  Five  are  four  and  one,  etc. 

The  children  must  be  required  in  all  cases  to 
conform  the  word  to  the  action;  i.  e. ,  to  tell  just 
what  they  do  just  at  the  time  they  do  it.  This 
is  absolutely  necessary  in  order  to  keep  the  atten- 
tion of  the  children,  and  to  secure  accuracy  of 
thought  and  expression. 


PEDAGOGIC  HINTS  241 


EXERCISES  WITHOUT  OBJECTS 

Practice  in  solving  examples  rapidly  without 
the  use  of  objects. 

In  teaching  these  examples  the  form  of  the 
question  should  be  varied  as  much  as  possible. 

The  following  are  a  few  suggestive  questions 
on  the  number  Five. 

ADDITION. — Four  and  one  are  what?  How 
many? 

Four  and  one  make  what?     How  many? 

Four  and  one  equal  what?     How  many? 

Four  plus  one  are  what?  How  many?  Teach 
the  sign  plug. 

Four  and  what  are  five?  Four  and  how  many 
are  five? 

What  and  four  are  five?     How  many  and  four 
are  five? 

Begin  with  one  instead  of  four,  and  proceed  in 
the  same  manner — One  and  four  are  what?  etc. 

RESOLUTION  INTO  PARTS. — Five  are  four  and 
what?  etc.  One  part  of  five  is  four,  what  is  the 
other  part?  The  teacher  names  one  part  of  the 
number,  the  pupils  give  the  other  part. 

SUBTRACTION. — In  subtraction  use  the  expres- 
sions less,  minus,  from,  subtract,  more  than,  less 
than  ;  thus,  Five  less  four  are  what?     Five  minm 
four  are  what?     Four  from  five  are  what?     Four 
16 


242  PEDAGOGIC  HINTS 

subtracted  from  five  leaves  what?  Five  are  how 
many  more  than  four?  Four  are  how  many  less 
than  five? 

Of  course  the  examples  should  be  given  out 
promiscuously  by  the  teacher.     In  answer  to  the 
questions,  ' '  "What  make  five  ?' '    ' '  Five  are  what  ?' ' 
"Five less?"  each  child  is  taught  to  answer  in  reg- 
ular order  and  according  to  a  specified  form,  that  all 
may  practice  in  concert.     For  example,  to  the  ques- 
tion, "What  make  five?"  the  pupil  begins  with  the 
largest  integral  part  of  five,  which  is  four,  and  says, 
'  ''Four  and  one  are  five, ' '  and  the  reverse,  ' '  One  and 
four  are  five ; ' '  then,  ' '  Three  and  two  are  five, ' '  and 
the  reverse, "Two  and  three  are  five." 
Question — Five  are  what? 
Answer — Five  are  four  and  one ; 
Five  are  one  and  four ; 
Five  are  three  and  two ; 
Five  are  two  and  three. 
Question — Five  less? 
Answer — Five  less  four  are  one ; 
Five  less  one  are  four; 
Five  less  three  are  two ; 
Five  less  two  are  three. 

It  is  a  good  exercise  to  have  the  teacher  name 
some  number,  as  five,  and  then  give  the  several 
parts  promiscuously,  requiring  the  pupil  to  give  the 
other  parts  thus : 

The  teacher  says  to  the  child,  "  I  give  one  part 


PEDAGOGIC  HINTS  243 

of  five,  you  give  the  other  part."  Teacher  says 
" t/wo y"  the  child  answers  "three."  Teacher, 
"one;"  child,  "four."  And  so  on. 

When  a  child  misses  a  question  in  numbers,  he 
should  be  required  to  solve  it  by  the  use  of  the 
sticks  or  balls,  as  the  case  may  be. 

The  pupils  should  be  practiced  on  this  work  till 
they  can  answer  almost  instantaneously,  as  rapid- 
ity is  one  of  the  objects  to  be  attained.  Bear  in 
mind  that  this  can  not  be  accomplished  except  by 
completing  one  number  very  thoroughly  before 
taking  up  the  next  higher,  and  by  keeping  up  a  con- 
stant review  of  the  preceding  numbers^ — that  is, 
complete  thoroughly  the  number  two  before  taking 
up  three;  take  three,  and  review  two,  complete 
three ;  take  four,  and  review  two  and  three ;  and 
BO  on  to  ten.  Bear  in  mind,  also,  that  addition 
and  subtraction,  and  the  resolution  into  parts, 
should  be  taught  together  •  the  one  assists  the  other. 
Let  the  children  be  taught  to  speak  naturally  and 
sprightly  in  their  number  lessons,  and  not  let  them 
drawl  their  words  in  a  singsong  tone. 

The  course  for  the  second  school  year  consists 
of  addition  and  subtraction  of  numbers  as  high 
as  100. 

FIRST  STEP. — This  step  consists  of  adding  units 
to  the  even  tens  (10,  20,  30,  40,  etc.),  and  then 
of  subtracting  the  units  to  leave  the  even  tens. 


244  PEDAGOGIC  HINTS 

Thus, 

10  and  1  are  what?  0  and  1  are  1,  10  and  1 
are  11. 

11  less  1  are  what?    1  less  1  are  0,  11  less  1 
are  10.  J 

10  and  6  are  what?  0  and  6  are  6,  10  and  6 
are  16. 

16  less  6  are  what?    6  less  6  are  0,  16  less  6 

are  10. 
40  and  7  are  what?  0  and  7  are  7,  40  and  7 

are  47. 
47  less  7  are  what?   7  less  7  are  0,  47  less  7 

are  40. 
And  BO  on  to  100. 

As  adding  or  subtracting  the  cipher  (0)  does 
not  change  the  unit  figure  of  the  answer,  it  is  bet- 
ter to  drop  this  part  of  the  work  after  two  or  three 
lessons,  and  have  the  children  give  the  answers  at 
once.  Thus,  10  and  1  are  what?  Ans.,  10  and  1 
are  11 ;  11  less  1  are  what?  11  less  1  are  10;  10 
and  6  are  16,  16  less  6  are  10;  etc. 

SECOND  STEP. — This  consists  of  adding  to  or 
subtracting  from,  the  right  hand,  or  unit  figures. 
Thus, 

11  and  1  are  what?  1  and  1  are  2,   11   and 

1  are  12 ; 

12  less  1  are  what?  2  less  1  are  1,    12  less 

1  are  11 ; 


PEDAGOGIC  HINTS  245 

12  and  7  are  what?  2  and  7  are  9,  12  and 

7  are  19; 
19  less  7  are  what?  9  less  7  are  2,  19  less 

7  are  12; 
43  and  5  are  what?  3  and  5  are  8,  43  and 

5  are  48 ; 
48  less  5  are  what?  8  less  5  are  3,  48  less 

5  are  43 ; 
and  so  on  to  100. 

It  is  evident  that  adding  the  1,  7,  and  5,  re- 
spectively to  the  right-hand  figures  of  11,  12,  and 
43,  is  simply  a  review  of  the  first  year's  work,  and 
all  that  is  new  for  the  pupils  to  learn  in  this  and  the 
preceding  step  is  the  names  of  the  answers  j  hence 
to  secure  rapid  work  the  teacher  should  drill  her 
pupils  in  naming  the  numbers  below  100  when  the 
right-and-left-hand  figures  are  given.  In  numbers 
greater  than  ten  and  less  than  twenty  the  pupils  are 
first  shown  that  the  left-hand  figure  is  1,  and  if 
the  right-h&nd  figure  is  1,  the  number  is  11 ;  if  the 
right-hand  figure  is  2,  the  number  is  twelve ;  if  3, 
13;  if  4,  14;  if  5,  15;  etc. 

THIRD  STEP. — This  consists  of  adding  to  the 
right-hand  figures  to  make  even  tens,  and  of  sub- 
tracting from  the  even  tens. 
Thus, 

19  and  what  are  20?  9  and  1  are  10,  19  and 
1  are  20 ; 

20  less  1?    10  less  1  are  9,  20  less  1  are  19 ; 


246  PEDAGOGIC  HI  ATS 

12  and  what  are  20?  2  and  8  are  10,  12  and 
8  are  20 ; 

20  less  8  are  what?  10  less  8  are  2,  20  less  8 
are  12 ; 

23  and  what  are  30?  3  and  7  are  10,  23  and 
7  are  30 ; 

30  less  7?   10  less  7  are  3,  30  less  7  are  23 ; 
and  so  on  to  100. 

After  the  pupils  are  able  to  solve  examples  rap- 
idly in  this  manner,  they  are  required  to  name  the 
answers  without  giving  the  intermediate  steps.  I 
suggest,  as  a  good  drill  exercise,  that  the  teachers 
at  this  point  require  the  children  to  "make  20," 
for  example,  and  to  follow  the  request  by  naming 
all  the  numbers  from  11  to  19  inclusive,  requiring 
the  children  to  give,  immediately  after  each  num- 
ber is  named,  the  supplementary  number  or  an- 
swer. Thus,  in  making  20,  the  teacher  names  the 
number  11,  the  children  answer  9;  teacher  17, 
children  3;  teacher  12,  children  8,  etc.  Again, 
the  teacher  requests  the  children  to  subtract  from 
20,  and  names  all  the  numbers  from  1  to  9  inclu- 
sive, and  the  children  immediately  give  the  an- 
swers. Thus,  the  teacher  says  4,  the  children  an- 
swer 16 ;  teacher  9,  children  11 ;  teacher  3,  children 
17,  etc.  These  exercises  should  be  carried  to  100. 
When  the  pupils  have  had  sufficient  practice  to 
enable  them  to  answer  almost  instantaneously,  they 
are  given  "string  examples."  These  examples 


PEDAGOGIC  HINTS  247 

should  contain  no  numbers  which  require  in  the 
solution  the  ' '  breaking  over  the  tens. ' '  Example : 
2+3+5+6+44-8+2+7+1+2+9  are  49.  Proof: 
49—9—2—1—7—2—8—4—6—5—3—2=0. 

The  third  step,  especially  that  part  whic,h  per- 
tains to  subtraction,  is  so  very  important  that  per- 
haps a  brief  explanation  of  the  law  upon  which  it 
is  based  would  not  be  out  of  place  here.  Why,  in 
subtracting,  say  7  from  30,  is  the  right-hand  figure 
of  the  result  obtained  by  taking  7  from  10?  An- 
swer: 30  is  composed  of  20  and  10;  if  we  take 
away  10,  it  will  leave  20;  if  we  take  away  7, 
which  is  only  a  part  of  10,  it  will  leave  the  other 
part,  which  is  3 ;  and  20  and  3  are  23. 

THE  FOURTH  AND  LAST  STEP. — This  consists  of 
breaking  over  the  tens  in  both  addition  and  sub- 
traction. 
Thus, 

9  and  2  are  what?    Operation,  9  and  1  are  10, 

10  and  1  are  11.     Ans.,  9  and  2  are  11. 

11  less  2  are  what?  11  less  1  are  10,  10  less  1 

are  9.     Ans.,  11  less  2  are  9. 
7  and  8  are  what?  7  and  3  are  10,  10  and  5 

are  15.     Ans.,  7  and  8  are  15. 
15  less  8  are  what?  15  less  5  are  10, 10  less  3 

are  7.     Ans.,  15  less  8  are  7. 
46  and  7  are  what?  46  and  4  are  50,  50  and  3 

are  53.     Ans.,  46  and  7  are  53. 
And  so  on  to  100. 


248  PEDAGOGIC  HINTS 

It  will  be  seen  that,  in  giving  the  final  results, 
the  numbers  to  be  added  or  subtracted  are  repeated 
with  their  answers.  This  is  done  in  order  that  the 
pupils  may  learn  more  readily  to  add  and  subtract 
without  separating  the  second  number  into  parts. 
But  at  first,  and  until  the  pupils  are  so  familiar 
with  this  step  that  whenever  they  do  not  know  the 
answer  they  will  immediately  resolve  the  second 
number,  as  shown  above,  they  should  be  required 
to  work  every  example  in  this  manner.  If  a  pupil 
taught  by  the  old  method  does  not  know,  for  ex- 
ample, that  7  and  8  are  15,  he  is  compelled  of  ne- 
cessity to  count  from  7  to  15  by  units,  either  men- 
tally or  on  the  fingers ;  while  by  this  method,  to 
which  he  resorts  only  when  the  answer  is  unknown, 
he  simply  resolves  the  8  into  3  and  5,  and  adds  the 
parts  separately :  i.  e. ,  he  takes  enough  units  from 
the  8  to  add  to  the  7  to  make  10,  and  then  adds 
the  remainder  5  to  10,  making  15.  It  is  evident 
that  the  child  stands  fewer  chances  of  making  a 
mistake  by  the  latter  method ;  besides,  the  work  is 
done  more  rapidly. 

Educators  will  please  bear  in  mind  that ' '  break- 
ing over  the  tens ' '  is  but  one  step  in  the  ' '  Tens 
Method,"  and  not  the  entire  method,  as  has  been 
stated  in  a  few  educational  publications.  Besides, 
I  wish  it  to  be  understood  that  this  step  is  a  means 
only,  and  not  an  end ;  that  the  end  I  desire  to  ac- 
complish is  the  addition  and  subtraction  of  num- 


PEDAGOGIC  HINTS  249 

bers  with  accuracy  and  facility  without  resolving 
them.  And  I  am  convinced  that  children  can  be 
taught  to  add  and  subtract  numbers  as  wholes  with 
accuracy  and  facility  in  much  less  time  by  having 
first  been  drilled  in  this  analysis.  In  addition, 
some  of  our  teachers,  however,  prefer  to  have  their 
pupils  adopt  the  plan  of  always  resolving  the  num- 
bers into  parts,  in  the  manner  indicated.  I  make 
no  objection,  because  it  is  an  excellent  and  logical 
way  of  adding — one  which  is  used  by  some  of  our 
best  bookkeepers,  and  one  which  I  recommend  all 
persons  to  adopt  who  are  naturally  poor  in  addition. 

In  this  article  on  Primary  Arithmetic,  I  have 
endeavored  to  present  the  main  features  of  the 
method  so  clearly  that  teachers  who  are  not  famil- 
iar with  it  may  be  able  to  use  it  successfully,  with- 
out further  assistance  than  is  given  here. 

I  here  acknowledge  my  obligation  to  Miss 
Delia  A.  Lathrop,  now  Mrs.  Dr.  "W.  G.  Williams, 
of  Delaware,  Ohio,  who,  recognizing  the  excellence 
of  the  ' '  Tens  Method, ' '  introduced  it  at  once  into 
the  Cincinnati  Normal  School,  of  which  she  was 
then  principal,  and  thus  rendered  me  important 
assistance  in  introducing  the  method  into  the 
schools.  In  this  connection,  I  can  not  refrain  from 
expressing  my  gratitude  to  Dr.  John  Micklebor- 
ough,  who,  when  principal  of  our  normal  school, 
published  an  explanation  of  the  method,  and  named 
the  method  after  me. 


250  PEDAGOGIC  HINTS 


TEACHING  ACCURACY  IN  READING 

Repeating  or  omitting  words,  or  substituting 
others  not  in  the  reading  lesson,  is  one  of  the  most 
common  faults  with  which  teachers  have  to  con- 
tend. This  carelessness,  however,  is  not  confined 
to  children.  Comparatively  very  few  adults  can 
read  half  a  column"  in  a  newspaper  without  blunder- 
ing. Within  the  past  school  year,  1885  and  1886, 
as  also  in  previous  years,  I  examined  a  number  of  the 
schools  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  average 
number  of  lines  classes  could  read  without  making 
one  of  the  above  mistakes.  As  it  would  consume 
too  much  time  to  examine  every  pupil,  I  selected 
at  random  from  classes  of  all  boys  or  all  girls  five, 
and  from  classes  of  boys  'and  girls  four  of  each 
sex.  I  found,  first,  that  in  most  of  the  classes  the 
average  number  of  lines  read  was  small,  seldom 
more  than  eight  or  ten,20  and  often  less ;  secondly, 
that  the  girls  were,  as  a  rule,  more  accurate  read- 
ers than  the  boys ;  and  thirdly,  that  those  who  were 
able  to  read  a  large  number  of  lines  were  univer- 
sally good  spellers.  I  recommend  that  one  lesson  in 
five — not  more  than  this — be  given  during  the  com- 
ing year  in  the  following  manner,  viz.  :  Let  the 
teacher  take  some  piece  with  which  the  pupils  are 
familiar,  and  see  how  many  of  them  can  read — if 


PEDAGOGIC  HINTS  251 

poetry,  two  stanzas;  if  prose,  ten  lines — without 
making  any  of  these  mistakes.  When  a  pupil  makes 
a  blunder  in  reading,  for  example,  his  two  stanzas, 
let  him  be  seated  at  once,  and  another  try  till  some 
one  has  read  them ;  then  proceed  in  the  same  way  with 
the  next  two,  and  so  on  till  the  piece  is  completed ; 
then  test  them  on  calling  the  words  backwards  in 
the  same  manner.  Naming  the  words  backwards 
is  a  very  important  exercise  in  this  connection,  as 
the  pupil  is  compelled  to  look  carefully  at  each 
word  or  he  will  fail.  Now  and  then  vary  the  les- 
son by  having  the  class  read  backwards  in  con- 
cert. 

Teachers  who  desire  to  give  per  cents  on  this 
work  may  readily  do  so  by  allowing  ten  per  cent 
for  each  line  up  to  ten  lines,  or  one  hundred  per 
cent. 


OPINIONS  OF  PRINCIPALS  AND  TEACHEKS 

The  teachers  were  requested  to  give  this  plan 
a  fair  trial,  and  to  report  to  me  at  the  close  of  the 
year  the  results  obtained  by  it  and  their  opinion  of 
it.  They  were  cautioned  not  to  give  too  much  at- 
tention to  this  mechanical  reading;  not  to  give 
more  than  one  lesson  in  five,  as  the  great  objects  in 
teaching  reading  are  to  give  the  pupils  power  to  grasp 
thought  from  the  printed  page,  and  to  teach  them 
to  read  those  thoughts  with  correct  expression. 


252  PEDAGOGIC  HINTS 

The  teachers  with  unanimity  reported  favorable 
results.  The  following  are  a  few  extracts  from 
their  reports.  A  teacher  says :  ' '  Before  trying 
the  plan,  I  tested  my  pupils  to  see  how  many  lines 
they  could  read  without  an  error,  and  found  twelve 
only  who  read  more  than  ten  lines,  while  not  one 
could  read  over  seventeen.  Now  the  class  will 
average  over  forty  lines  and  some  pupils  will  read 
over  a  hundred. ' '  Another  reports :  * '  The  Fri- 
day lesson  was  set  apart  to  '  line  reading, '  as  we 
term  it,  and  by  adopting  your  excellent  plan  we 
found  the  results  in  reading  more  satisfactory  than 
in  any  previous  year."  "  The  plan,"  says  a  prin- 
cipal, c '  suggested  by  you  for  securing  accuracy  in 
reading  has  done  more  to  improve  the  reading  than 
all  the  plans  heretofore  pursued.  It  has  made  the 
careless  painstaking,  and  the  disposition  to  omit 
words  or  inject  others  is  fast  disappearing. ' '  An- 
other principal  reports :  ' '  Your  plan  is  worthy  of 
much  consideration;  it  secures,  by  the  care  ob- 
served, a  distinct  utterance  of  the  elementary 
sounds ;  furthermore,  that  much-deplored  habit  of 
blending  the  end  of  one  word  with  the  beginning 
of  another  is,  in  a  great  measure,  overcome  by  it. 
In  short,  this  plan  is  the  only  one  which  will  secure 
the  best  results  in  reading."  "I  have  followed 
the  suggestions  in  regard  to  reading,  and  find 
them  very  efficacious.  The  habit  of  stammering 
has  been  reduced  amazingly,"  reports  a  teacher. 


PEDAGOGIC  HINTS  253 

A  principal  says :  "  In  addition  to  the  report  of  the 
teachers  on  reading,  of  the  effect  of  your  recom- 
mendation, I  would  say  that  my  final  examination 
showed  to  me  conclusively  the  benefits  of  the 
course  recommended  by  you.  The  halting  and 
stammering,  the  repetition  and  miscalling  of  words, 
were  not  nearly  so  noticeable  as  formerly,  and  the 
pupils  acquired  a  readiness  and  fluency  in  reading 
that  gave  more  time  to  develop  the  thought,  ex- 
pression, and  sentiment  of  the  lessons  read. ' '  Sim- 
ilar reports  were  received  from  hundreds  of  teach- 
ers. May  I  not  recommend  the  adoption  of  this 
plan  into  other  schools  of  the  country? 


THE  PERCENTAGE  SYSTEM 

The  subject  of  examination  and  promotion  of 
pupils  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  of  solution  of 
any  connected  with  our  city  school  systems.  Years 
ago,  educators  thought  that  they  had  found  the 
true  solution  in  "percented"  written  examina- 
tions. Such  examinations  were  held  in  every  sub- 
ject in  which  it  was  possible  to  hold  them ;  and  in 
order  to  stimulate  the  teachers  to  greater  exertions, 
the  per  cents  were  posted  up  in  the  offices  of  super- 
intendents, exhibited  and  commented  upon  in  the 
different  schools,  carried  around  in  triumph  by 


254  PEDAGOGIC  HINTS 

principals,  paraded  in  the  daily  papers,  and  pub- 
lished in  the  school  reports.  But  it  was  found  that 
attaching  undue  importance  to  per  cents  leads  to 
the  driving  and  cramming  process,  to  teaching  in 
narrow  ruts ;  that  it  offers  inducements  to  teachers 
to  resort  to  improper  devices  and  expedients,  which 
keep  the  children  from  thinking  for  themselves, 
and  which  therefore  retard  rather  than  develop  the 
reasoning  faculties ;  that  it  causes  teachers  to  vio- 
late their  time-tables,  to  overburden  the  pupils 
with  home  work,  to  inflict  unnecessary  punishment, 
and  not  infrequently  to  drive  poor  pupils  out  of 
school. 

Experience  shows  that  the  best  teachers  do  not, 
as  a  rule,  obtain  the  highest  per  cents  from  their 
pupils.  Of  course,  in  a  properly -graded  school, 
their  classes  will  rank  high ;  but  they  will  be  beaten 
every  time  by  classes  taught  by  inferior  teachers 
who  follow  narrow  ruts.  Good  teachers  will  ob- 
tain good  per  cents ;  but  to  judge  teachers  wholly 
by  per  cents,  as  has  been  done  so  generally  in  the 
past,  is  to  commit  an  injustice. 

As  my  predecessor,  Dr.  John  Hancock,  once 
said :  ' '  Per  cents  show  some  things,  but  they  do 
not  show  all." 

The  methods  pursued  in  obtaining  the  per  cents 
are  of  far  more  importance  in  estimating  the  true 
worth  of  a  teacher  than  the  per  cents  themselves. 

For  these  reasons  there  has  been  a  growing 


PEDAGOGIC  HINTS  255 

sentiment  in  favor  of  abandoning  the  percentage 
system  altogether.  Not  seeing  my  way  clear  to 
dispense  wholly  with  the  system,  I  endeavored, 
during  my  superintendency,  to  relieve,  as  much  as 
possible,  the  pressure  formerly  brought  to  bear 
through  per  cents,  by  not  publishing  them,  by  not 
even  requiring  the  teachers  to  report  them,  by  at- 
taching very  little  importance  to  them,  and  by 
throwing  them  off  of  "object  lessons,"  history, 
and  physics,  subjects  that  would  better  never  be 
touched  than  be  taught  by  the  pernicious  methods  to 
which  teachers  are  compelled  to  resort  in  order  to 
obtain  high  per  cents  in  written  examinations.  And 
that  the  non-percented  subjects  might  not  be  neg- 
lected, I  requested  the  principals  to  give  especial 
attention  to  them,  and  required  them  to  make  a 
written  report  twice  a  year,  not  only  upon  the  re- 
sults obtained,  but  upon  the  methods  pursued  in 
imparting  the  instruction. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  each  teacher  was 
assured  that  her  standing  in  the  estimation  of  the 
superintendent  and  of  the  Board  would  not  depend 
upon  the  high  per  cents  her  pupils  might  obtain  in 
examinations,  but  upon  attention  to  duty,  manners, 
mode  of  discipline,  methods  of  instruction,  and 
upon  the  tone  of  her  school. 

Moreover,  believing  that  much  injury  had  been 
done  in  the  past  by  imposing  home  study  upon 
young  children,  the  teachers  of  the  district  schools 


256  PEDAGOGIC  HINTS 

were  prohibited  from  assigning  lessons  to  be  learned 
outside  of  school  hours,  and,  at  the  same  time,  the 
teachers  of  the  intermediate  schools  were  limited 
as  to  the  amount  and  nature  of  the  home  work  they 
were  permitted  to  require. 

The  custom  which  had  so  long  prevailed  of 
holding  a  final  examination  of  the  district  and  in- 
termediate schools  in  June  of  each  year,  on  ques- 
tions prepared  by  the  superintendent,  was  kept  up ; 
but  the  requirements  for  promotion  were  so  modi- 
fied that  not  only  pupils  who  reached  the  average 
which  was  fixed  after  the  examination,  and  which 
was  usually  seventy  per  cent — never  more  than 
seventy — but  all  others  were  advanced  whom  the 
principals  recommended,  together  with  those  who 
had  been  in  one  grade  two  years.  Thus  the  pupils 
were  "passed,"  as  it  is  called,  first,  on  having  ob- 
tained the  required  average  per  cent  in  the  final 
examination;  second,  on  the  recommendation  of 
the  principals;  third,  on  the  fact  that  they  had 
been  in  the  same  grade  two  years. 

The  foregoing  was  the  manner  of  promotion  of 
pupils  during  my  administration,  except  from  the 
A  Grade  of  the  intermediate  to  the  high  schools. 

The  high  schools  of  Cincinnati  are  under  a  sep- 
arate Board,  known  as  the  Union  Board  of  High 
Schools,  and  a  committee  from  this  body  fixed  each 
year  a  definite  per  cent  which  a  pupil  must  obtain 
in  the  final  examination  given  by  the  superintend- 


PEDAGOGIC  HINTS  257 

ent.  There  was  no  exception  made.  The  pupil 
who  did  not  obtain  the  required  average  failed  of 
admission. 

As  has  been  stated,  the  terrible  pressure  that 
had  been  brought  to  bear  upon  the  schools  through 
the  undue  importance  previously  placed  upon  per 
cents,  was  removed  from  the  first  seven  grades  of 
the  schools  at  the  beginning  of  my  administration. 
In  my  opinion,  the  teachers  in  these  grades  had  all 
the  relief  in  this  direction  that  it  is  advisable  to 
give,  and  were  as  free  to  act  as  the  best  interests 
of  the  schools  demand.  I  am  not  one  of  those 
who  believe  that  a  great  school  system  like  that  of 
Cincinnati  can  be  maintained  at  a  very  high  stand- 
ard of  proficiency  where  the  transfers  of  pupils 
are  left  entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  individual 
teachers  and  their  respective  principals. 

The  percentage  system,  when  proper  safeguards 
are  thrown  around  it  and  when  judiciously  applied, 
is  essential,  if  the  highest  interests  of  the  schools 
are  to  be  subserved.  I  complain  not  therefore  of 
the  use,  but  of  the  abuse  of  the  system. 

Had  the  admission  of  pupils  to  the  high  schools 
been  in  the  hands  of  the  superintendent,  proper 
relief  would  have  been  given  the  teachers  of  the 
A  Grade  of  the  intermediate  schools.  But  unfor- 
tunately this  was  not  the  case ;  for,  at  the  time, 
the  high  schools  were  only  nominally  under  the 
superintendent,  he  having  merely  advisory  powers. 
17 


258  PEDAGOGIC  HINTS 

The  rigor  of  the  requirements  of  the  Union  Board 
for  admission  of  pupils  to  the  high  schools,  and 
the  natural  desire  of  both  principals  and  teachers 
to  have  as  large  a  number  as  possible  of  the  pupils 
remaining  in  this  grade  in  their  respective  schools 
pass  a  successful  examination,  led  some  of  the 
teachers  of  the  A  Grade  to  drive  and  cram  for  per- 
cents  in  those  subjects  in  which  written  examina- 
tions were  required,  and  to  slight  those  in  which 
they  were  not. 

What  could  be  done  for  relief  here  was  a  ques- 
tion that  gave  me  much  serious  thought.  At  last  I 
recommended  to  the  Union  Board  to  admit  to  the 
high  schools  the  upper  half  of  the  pupils  in  the  A 
Grade  of  each  intermediate  school,  upon  the  rec- 
ommendation of  the  principal,  without  examina- 
tion, the  plan  that  I  had  adopted  in  the  remaining 
grades  of  these  schools.  The  Board  was  not  pre- 
pared to  make  so  radical  a  change  in  the  method  of 
transferring  pupils,  but  adopted  a  modified  form 
of  my  recommendation  by  passing  a  rule  to  admit 
' '  without  further  examination,  fifty  per  cent  of  the 
pupils  having  the  highest  per  cent,  who  shall  at- 
tain an  average  of  seventy  per  cent,  or  above,  on 
four  examinations  held  by  the  principals  during 
the  year." 

My  plan  left  the  selection  of  the  "honor  pu- 
pils ' '  wholly  to  the  judgment  of  the  principals 
and  teachers  of  the  several  schools,  and  did  not  re- 


PEDAGOGIC  HINTS  259 

quire  examinations,  or  tests  as  they  are  now  called, 
to  determine  who  were  to  be  "  honor  pupils ; ' ' 
for  I  feared  that,  if  this  be  done,  it  might  lead  to 
more  cramming  than  before.  The  rule,  however, 
was  in  operation  only  one  year,  when  the  superin- 
tendency  of  schools  passed  into  the  hands  of  my 
successor,  Dr.  E.  E.  White,  who,  by  an  act  of  the 
Legislature,  became  superintendent  of  the  high 
schools  in  fact  as  well  as  in  name.  During  Dr. 
White's  administration  the  promotion  of  pupils  to 
the  high  schools  was  placed  by  the  Union  Board 
in  the  hands  of  the  superintendent. 

Since  Dr.  White's  successor,  Superintendent 
W.  H.  Morgan,  has  been  in  charge,  the  old  rule  ad- 
mitting ' '  honor  pupils ' '  without  examination  has 
been  re-enacted,  with  such  modifications  as  the  su- 
perintendent suggested.  The  rule  is  as  follows: 
' '  Pupils  from  the  city  intermediate  schools  may  be 
admitted  to  the  high  schools  upon  the  following 
conditions :  The  upper  half  of  the  A  Grade  of  these 
schools,  so  determined  by  a  combination  of  the 
teachers'  estimates  and  the  various  examination  re- 
sults, allowing  each  equal  value  in  the  determina- 
tion, and  so  certified  by  the  principal  of  each 
school  without  further  examination.  The  lower 
half  must  be  examined  at  the  close  of  the  school 
year,  at  their  respective  schoolhouses,  under  the 
supervision  of  a  high-school  teacher,  etc. 

While  I  am  convinced  that  the  plan  of  promoting 


260  PEDAGOGIC  HINTS 

one-half  of  the  pupils  of  each  grade  as  "  honor 
pupils"  without  requiring  them  to  take  the  final 
examination  given  by  the  superintendent,  is  the 
best  that  has  been  devised  for  a  great  system  of 
schools,  I  do  not  approve  of  requiring  the  teachers 
to  hold  and  record  each  year  a  certain  number  of 
stated  examinations.  Teachers  should  have  more 
freedom. 


FAREWELL  TO  THE  SCHOOLS 

THE  CONCLUDING  ARTICLE  OF  MY  LAST  ANNUAL   REPORT, 
AUGUST   15,   1886. 

In  concluding  this,  my  twelfth  and  last  Annual 
Report  of  the  Condition  and  Progress  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati Public  Schools,  I  wish  to  express  to  all  past 
and  present  members  of  the  Board  of  Education 
who  have  upheld  and  sustained  me  in  my  work,  to 
principals  and  teachers,  who  have  so  fully  and  ef- 
fectively co-operated  with  me  in  my  earnest  en- 
deavors to  improve  the  school  system  of  this  city 
and  to  keep  it  in  the  forefront  of  American  sys- 
tems, my  heartfelt  gratitude;  for,  without  such 
support  and  co-operation,  little  could  have  been 
accomplished.  But  now,  in  reviewing  my  twelve 
years'  superintendency  of  the  Cincinnati  public 
schools,  I  take  pride  in  the  fact  that  it  has  been 
characterized  by  shortened  hours  of  tuition;  by 
lengthened  certificates  for  teachers ;  by  the  impulse 


PEDAGOGIC  HINTS  261 

given  to  beautifying  school-rooms  with  the  por- 
traits of  the  great  and  good  in  history  and  litera- 
ture, and  with  other  pictures ;  by  the  greatly- les- 
sened pressure  of  the  percentage  system ;  by  the 
development  of  the  "  Tens  Method"  of  teaching 
primary  arithmetic,  now  pursued  in  many  schools 
of  the  country ;  by  the  introduction  of  a  system- 
atic course  of  moral,  humane,  and  literary  train- 
ing, through  "Memory  Gems,"  including  in  its 
scope  the  inauguration  of  authorial  celebrations 
and  the  celebration  of  "Arbor-day,"  or  memorial 
tree-planting,  and  by  the  remarkable  neatness  and 
beauty  of  execution  of  pupils'  work  on  slate  and 
paper,  accomplished  largely  through  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  systematic  and  attractive  forms  daily 
ruled  by  the  scholars  with  pen  and  pencil. 

It  has  been  my  earnest  endeavor  to  make  char- 
acter-building, in  its  best  sense,  the  great  object 
of  my  administration,  and  hence  the  question,  what 
would  make  our  pupils  nobler  and  more  useful 
men  and  women,  and  not  what  would  produce  the 
highest  per  cents,  has  been  the  test  of  all  measures 
and  changes  advocated  or  adopted  by  me. 

I  now  take  leave  of  trustees,  principals,  teach- 
ers, and  pupils,  in  the  sincere  desire  that  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Cincinnati,  under  the  guidance  of 
my  distinguished  successor,  Dr.  E.  E.  White, 
will  be  brought  to  a  still  higher  state  of  excellence 
and  of  usefulness. 


Personal   Incidents 


PERSONAL    INCIDENTS 
THE  FISH  I  DID  GATCH 

PERHAPS  some  of  my  young  friends  who  have 
read  in  McGuffey's  Fifth  Reader  the  beautiful 
story  of  Whittier's,  entitled  "The  Fish  I  Didn't 
Catch,"  may  be  interested  in  the  incident  I  am 
about  to  relate,  since  it  happened  by  the  same  body 
of  water  and  near  the  same  place  as  the  one  upon 
which  the  poet  based  his  story,  as  Mr.  Whittier 
himself  informed  me.  But  as  I  caught  the  fish,  I 
have  selected  the  opposite  title ;  namely,  * '  The 
Fish  I  Did  Catch." 

One  pleasant  summer  afternoon,  I  took  a  stroll 
through  Brandy-brow  "Woods,  and  came  out  at 
Peaslee's  Mill-pond.  This  beautiful  little  lake 
took  its  prosaic  name  from  an  ancestor  of  mine, 
who  built  the  saw  and  grist  mills  which  stood  at  an- 
other point  of  the  lake,  and  which  remained  in  the 
possession  of  the  family  for  upwards  of  a  century 
and  a  half ;  indeed,  at  the  time  to  which  I  refer, 
the  mills  and  water  privileges  belonged  to  my 
father. 

It  was  growing  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  the 
265 


266  PERSONAL  INCIDENTS 

sun  was  beginning  to  cast  shadows  upon  the  lake 
from  the  tall  pines  that  bordered  the  western  shore 
when  I  came. 

While  resting  on  the  greensward  of  the  oppo- 
site shore,  where  the  ground  gently  slopes  to  the 
lake,  and  looking  out  upon  the  placid  water — for 
not  a  ripple  disturbed  the  glassy  smoothness  of  the 
surface — I  saw  the  whirl  of  a  pickerel.  ' '  Good ! ' ' 
thought  I;  " I  '11  catch  that  fellow."  What  boy 
with  a  fish-line  in  his  pocket  would  not  think  this, 
though  the  scenery  were  never  so  beautiful?  In 
those  days  it  was  my  custom  to  carry  a  hook  and  line 
when  on  my  rambles.  I  cut  a  pole  from  a  clump 
of  alders  near  by,  fastened  the  fish-line  to  it,  baited 
the  hook,  and  threw  out  the  line,  dropping  the  bait 
into  the  water  a  little  beyond  where  I  had  seen  the 
pickerel-whirl,  and  drawing  it  just  below  the  sur- 
face, by  short  jerks,  past  the  place.  Sure  enough, 
I  caught  the  fish,  and  shortly  thereafter  another ; 
then,  moving  up  to  near  the  outlet  of  Brandy -brow 
Brook,  to  where  some  oak-trees  hung  over  the 
steep  bank,  a  few  feet  from  the  water's  edge,  I 
threw  out  the  line  a~ain.  This  time  I  hooked  a 
larger  fish  than  either  of  the  other  two ;  but  in 
pulling  him  out  the  line  was  thrown  into  the 
branches  of  one  of  the  oaks.  The  fish  fell  to  the 
ground,  and  was  saved ;  but  the  hook  caught  in 
the  branches  of  the  tree,  and  was  lost. 

All  hopes  of  further  fishing  were  gone.     Grief- 


"» 8»o.  =  H 

§•$31  B 

i  S  o  a 

r.D.O.3 

°=-»S  O 

c  IB  or  r 


PERSONAL  INCIDENTS  267 

stricken  and  almost  broken-hearted,  I  resolved  to 
return  home ;  so,  from  a  small  gray  birch  that 
grew  near  the  bank,  I  cut  a  crotched  stick  on 
which  to  string  the  fish ;  but  as  I  was  in  the  act  of 
stringing  the  largest  and  last  one  caught,  I  noticed 
that  something  projected  the  skin  just  below  the 
gills.  I  cut  in  with  my  knife  to  see  what  it  was ; 
when,  behold !  to  my  inexpressible  joy,  I  found  it 
was  a  fish-hook,  and  a  larger  and  better  one  than 
I  had  lost.  Delighted  beyond  measure,  I  hur- 
riedly cut  out  the  hook,  fastened  it  to  the  line, 
baited  it,  and  renewed  my  fishing.  When  dark- 
ness overtook  me,  I  went  home  with  a  string  of 
more  than  a  dozen  fine  pickerel,  the  happiest  boy 
in  town. 

How  rapidly  grief  and  joy  alternate  in  this  life ! 


MY  SPRING 

What  is  true  of  other  parts  of  the  world,  in 
regard  to  the  evils  resulting  from  the  devastation 
of  forests,  is  alarmingly  true  of  many  parts  of  our 
own  country.  In  numerous  places  in  my  own 
State,  Ohio,  the  soil  has  been  largely  washed  away 
from  the  hillsides  since  the  forests  have  been  de- 
stroyed, leaving  deep  gullies  and  bare  rocks  on  the 
once  beautiful  slopes,  and  covering  with  a  debris 
of  stone  and  gravel  the  once  fertile  valleys  below ; 


268  PERSONAL  INCIDENTS 

for  the  rainfall,  instead  of  percolating  through  the 
soil  to  come  out  at  a  lower  level  in  refreshing 
springs,  rushes  unhindered  into  the  streams,  caus- 
ing frequent  floods. 

Thousands  of  springs  and  brooks  that  once 
gave  forth  a  continuous  flow,  are  now  dry  in  mid- 
summer. In  this  connection  let  me  give  you  an 
example  within  my  own  personal  experience ;  and, 
gentlemen,  I  am  confident  that  most  of  you  can 
call  to  mind  similar  occurrences.  There  was  lo- 
cated on  my  father's  farm,  almost  within  sight  of 
my  old  home,  a  never-failing  spring  of  crystal 
water,  in  a  ravine  bordered  by  hill-slopes  covered 
with  a  beautiful  forest  of  pine.  I  dug  out  the  spring, 
as  we  say  in  rural  parlance,  making  a  small  pond 
of  some  twenty  feet  long  by  ten  wide,  and  two  or 
three  feet  deep.  The  upper  end,  where  the  cool 
spring- water  bubbled  up  from  the  earth,  I  covered 
over  with  large,  flat  stones,  making  a  kind  of 
bridge  to  serve  as  shelter  and  protection  for  the 
beautiful  speckled  trout,  some  twenty  in  number, 
with  which  I  stocked  my  little  pond.  O,  what 
delight  I  took  in  those  happy  boyhood  days,  in 
feeding  my  pets,  which  became  almost  as  tame  as 
the  chickens  about  our  door !  Years  passed  on.  I 
left  my  native  home  to  live  in  Ohio,  and,  after  the 
expiration  of  two  years,  I  returned  to  visit  my  par- 
ents. I  went  to  see  the  spring,  that  spot  so  dear 
to  my  childhood  and  youth,  and  think  of  my  sur- 


PERSONAL  INCIDENTS  269 

prise  and  amazement  when  I  found  that  no  spring 
was  there!  Only  a  few  bare  stones  remained  to 
mark  the  place  where  the  overflowing  spring  once 
was.  The  cause  of  this  was  the  cutting  down  of  the 
pines  that  covered  the  slopes  on  either  side.  Since 
that  time  a  growth  of  beautiful  oaks  has  sprung  up, 
and  my  never-failing  spring  has  returned. 

PLANTING  THE  MAPLE-TREE 

(WRITTEN  FOR  THE  YOUNG) 

Now,  I  am  going  to  tell  my  young  friends  how 
I  became,  in  early  boyhood,  the  friend  of  forest- 
trees. 

Sometime  before  the  date  of  the  story  I  am 
about  to  relate,  father  had  remarked  to  us  boys 
that  it  would  be  a  good  thing  to  have  a  trout  in  the 
well,  that  the  fish  would  destroy  the  insects  and 
help  in  other  ways  to  keep  the  water  pure  and 
healthful ;  besides,  he  assured  us  that  the  open  well 
would  make  a  nice  home  for  a  brook  trout,  as  this 
fish  lives  only  in  cool  or  cold  water ;  and,  more- 
over, it  likes  the  shade. 

One  fine  day,  in  the  following  spring,  after  the 
snow  had  melted  away,  but  before  the  buds  on  the 
small  trees  in  the  forests  began  to  start,  father's 
words  came  into  my  mind,  and  I  decided  to  get 
ready,  run  down  to  Brandy-brow  Brook,  catch  a 
small  trout,  and  put  it  into  the  well,  as  father  had 


270  PERSONAL  INCIDENTS 

suggested.  So,  having  made  a  kind  of  fish-hook 
by  first  heating  over  the  flame  of  a  lamp  and  then 
bending  into  proper  shape  one  of  mother's  sewing- 
needles — the  needle  was  used  in  order  not  to 
injure  or  unnecessarily  hurt  the  fish — and  having 
threaded  this  needle-hook  with  strong  linen  thread 
and  fastened  the  opposite  end  of  the  thread  to  a 
long  slender  pole,  off  I  went,  with  a  small  tin 
bucket  in  one  hand  and  the  pole  in  the  other,  and 
Rover,  our  large,  black,  curly-haired  Newfound- 
land dog  by  my  side.  On  arriving  at  the  brook,  I 
baited  the  hook  with  a  small  earthworm,  which  I 
found  by  turning  over  a  large  stone  that  had  lain 
a  long  time  partly  imbedded  in  the  moist  soil,  and 
began  fishing  in  ' '  the  ripples  ' '  under  the  deep 
shade  of  my  favorite  trees,  "the  hemlocks." 
Here  the  brook  broadens  to  three  or  four  times  its 
usual  width,  and  the  shallow  water  runs  murmur- 
ing over  the  stony  bottom  ;  and  here,  during  the 
daytime,  little  trout  are  always  to  be  found.  It 
was  but  a  few  minutes  till  I  had  one  of  the  gold- 
and-red-spotted  beauties  safe  in  my  bucket. 

Fishing  over,  and  not  being  ready  to  return 
home,  I  started  down  along  the  bank  of  the  brook 
to  see  what  Rover,  who  was  barking  furiously,  had 
found;  more,  however,  to  please  the  noble  dog 
who  would  show,  by  the  expression  of  his  large, 
kindly  eyes  and  by  the  wagging  of  his  long  bushy 
tail,  the  joy  he  felt  at  my  approach  on  such  occa- 


PERSONAL  INCIDENTS  271 

sions,  than  because  I  thought  that  he  had  found 
anything  of  importance;  for,  my  young  friends, 
you  know  that  a  Newfoundland  dog,  though  very 
valuable  for  many  things,  is  good  for  nothing  as  a 
hunter.  Rover  would  make  far  more  fuss  over 
chasing  a  mouse  or  a  chipmunk  into  a  hole  than  a 
hound  would  in  driving  a  fox  into  his  burrow,  and 
would  be  much  more  pleased  over  his  achieve- 
ment. 

On  coming  to  within  a  few  feet  of  the  place 
where  the  dog  was,  I  saw  that,  just  as  I  had  ex- 
pected, he  had  driven  one  or  the  other  of  these 
tiny  creatures  under  the  roots  of  an  old  pine-tree 
that  stood  by  the  little  stream ;  so  I  stopped,  called 
Rover  to  me,  and  began  to  pet  him,  as  much  as  to 
say :  ' '  Good  dog !  you  have  done  the  best  you 
knew  how,  and  I  love  you  for  it. ' '  While  stand- 
ing there,  petting  the  big,  good-natured  animal 
and  looking  about  me,  my  attention  was  attracted 
by  the  beauty  of  the  bark  and  the  neat  and  trim 
appearance  of  a  small  tree  that  stood  near  the  op- 
posite bank  of  the  brook.  I  leaped  across  the 
brook,  and  carefully  examined  the  tree.  Though 
not  knowing  its  name,  I  was  so  pleased  with  it  that 
I  made  up  my  mind  at  once  to  take  the  little  trout 
I  had  in  the  bucket  home,  put  it  in  the  well,  and 
get  the  spade,  dig  up  the  tree,  and  plant  it  in  the 
road  in  front  of  the  old  farmhouse  in  which  I 
lived.  The  resolution  was  promptly  carried  into 


PERSONAL  INCIDENTS 

effect,  and  the  tree  was  planted.  I  remember  now, 
as  if  it  were  but  yesterday,  with  what  exultant  joy 
I  showed  the  tree  to  my  father  on  his  return  from 
town  that  evening,  and  with  what  delight  I  re- 
lated the  circumstances  that  led  to  its  discovery 
and  planting.  Father  informed  me  that  it  was  a 
sugar  or  rock  maple,  a  variety  of  the  maple-tree 
rare  in  that  section  of  the  State.  In  other  parts 
of  New  Hampshire  many  farmers  have  large  groves 
of  these  trees,  from  whose  sap  great  quantities  of 
syrup  and  sugar  are  annually  made.  The  next 
year  others  of  the  same  variety  were  planted,  until 
a  row  of  beautiful  sugar-maples  adorned,  and  still 
adorns,  the  road  in  front  of  my  old  New  Hamp- 
shire home. 

Such  was  my  interest  in  those  trees  that  for 
years,  even  after  I  came  to  Ohio  and  settled  in 
Cincinnati,  on  my  visits  to  my  parents,  I  meas- 
ured their  stems  to  ascertain  how  rapidly  they 
grew,  and  kept  a  record  of  their  annual  growth  in  a 
note-book  stowed  away  in  one  corner  of  the  old  cup- 
board, over  the  kitchen  fireplace,  which  my  mother 
permitted  no  other  member  of  the  family  to  disturb. 
And  now,  after  more  than  forty  years  have  passed 
since  the  planting,  my  attachment  to  these  maples 
is  so  strong  that  I  have  almost  as  great  a  desire  to 
see  them  as  I  have  to  visit  the  friends  of  my  boy- 
hood. 


PERSONAL  INCIDENTS  273 


WHY  I  BECAME  IN  BOYHOOD  AN  OPPONENT  TO 
CAPITAL  PUNISHMENT 

In  1844:  a  man  in  Grofton  County,  New  Hamp- 
shire, was  arrested,  tried,  convicted,  and  sentenced 
to  be  hanged  for  the  supposed  murder  of  his  wife. 
The  circumstances  were  as  follows : 

A  man  and  his  wife  slept  in  a  room  which  was 
separated  only  by  a  board  partition  from  another 
room  occupied  by  an  old  lady.  One  morning  the 
wife  was  found  hanging  to  the  bedpost,  dead. 
The  husband  was  arrested  on  the  charge  of  mur- 
der in  the  first  degree,  and  was  thrown  into  jail, 
at  the  same  time  declaring  his  innocence.  At  the 
trial  the  old  lady  testified  that  she  heard  loud  words 
between  husband  and  wife,  and  threats  that  he 
would  kill  her,  and  afterwards  heard  scufilmg  be- 
tween them ;  but  that,  being  alone,  she  was  afraid 
of  her  own  life,  and  therefore  lay  quiet,  etc.  The 
jury  brought  in  a  verdict  of  guilty,  and  the  judge 
sentenced  the  prisoner  to  be  hanged.  My"  father, 
at  the  time  a  member  of  the  New  Hampshire  Leg- 
islature, made  a  careful  examination  of  the  testi- 
mony, and  became  convinced  that  the  crime  was 
suicide,  and  not  murder.  Accordingly,  he  intro- 
duced a  bill  into  the  House  of  representatives  to 
pardon  the  condemned  man.  After  a  somewhat 
lengthy  discussion,  the  House  decided  to  refer  the 
18 


274  PERSONAL  INCIDENTS 

whole  subject  to  a  special  committee  of  ten,  of 
which  my  father  was  appointed  chairman,  with  in- 
structions to  report  by  bill  or  otherwise.  The  com- 
mittee, after  a  careful  and  patient  examination  of 
the  evidence,  instructed  its  chairman  to  report  to 
the  House  a  bill  commuting  the  sentence  of  the 
prisoner  to  imprisonment  for  life  in  the  State 
Prison.  Mr.  Peaslee  immediately  informed  the 
House  of  Representatives  that  the  select  committee 
would  be  ready  to  report  at  seven  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  and  asked  the  House  to  adjourn  to  that 
hour,  stating  that  it  was  of  the  utmost  importance 
that  prompt  action  be  taken,  or  otherwise  the  exe- 
cution would  take  place  at  ten  o'clock  the  follow- 
ing day.  The  House  did  as  requested.  Long  be- 
fore the  hour  arrived  to  which  the  House  had 
adjourned,  the  spacious  galleries  of  the  Hall  of 
Representatives  were  filled  to  overflowing  with 
spectators  to  hear  the  report  of  the  committee. 
Among  them  were  the  aged  mother  and  two  sisters 
of  the  prisoner,  weighed  down  by  grief  over  the 
misfortunes  of  a  son  and  brother.  The  bill  was 
advocated  with  great  zeal  on  the  part  of  my  father 
and  some  others,  but  was  met  with  strenuous  op- 
position on  the  part  of  friends  of  capital  punish- 
ment, who  tried  to  defeat  the  object  of  the  bill  by 
delaying  action  until  too  late  to  prevent  the  execu- 
tion, which  they  nearly  succeeded  in  doing;  for 
the  bill  was  passed  by  the  House  of  Representa- 


PERSONAL  INCIDENTS  275 

tives  and  received  the  signature  of  the  governor 
only  a  few  hours  before  the  time  set  for  the  hang- 
ing to  take  place. 

In  front  of  the  State  House  stood  a  rider  by 
his  horse,  ready  to  start  with  the  commutation  pa- 
pers as  soon  as  they  received  the  signature  of  the 
governor.  On  the  instant  they  were  handed  him 
by  Mr.  Peaslee,  he  leaped  upon  his  horse,  and  rode 
away  through  the  snow ;  for  it  was  winter,  and  a 
deep  snow  lay  upon  the  ground.  But  by  a  relay 
of  horses,  for  which  arrangements  had  previously 
been  made,  the  rider  reached  the  place  appointed 
for  the  execution  two  hours  before  the  time  set  for 
the  hanging. 

The  prisoner  was  brought  to  Concord,  and  in- 
carcerated in  the  penitentiary,  where  he  remained 
two  or  three  years,  when,  on  account  of  his  good 
behavior  and  the  great  probability  of  his  innocence, 
he  was  pardoned,  and  from  that  time  he  lived  a 
blameless  life,  honored  and  respected  in  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  resided.  After  leaving  prison 
he  wrote  a  number  of  letters  expressing  his  heart- 
felt gratitude  to  father,  and  saying  that  but  for  his 
disinterested  exertions  in  his  behalf,  he  would  have 
died  an  ignominious  death  upon  the  gallows,  though 
innocent  of  the  crime  charged  against  him. 

The  reading  of  these  letters  and  the  listening 
to  the  story  related  to  me  when  a  boy  by  my  father, 
who  could  not  tell  it  without  shedding  tears  when 


276  PERSONAL  INCIDENTS 

he  came  to  the  scene  that  ensued  in  the  rotunda  of 
the  State  House,  when  that  aged  Christian  mother 
and  the  two  daughters  met  him,  and  threw  their 
arms  around  his  neck,  and  wept  grateful  tears — 
"Language,"  said  father,  "seemed  inadequate  to 
express  their  gratitude  for  what  I  had  done  for 
them  " — deeply  impressed  my  mind,  and  made  me, 
from  that  day  to  this,  an  opponent  to  capital  pun- 
ishment. 

My  father  lived  to  see  conclusive  evidence  of 
the  man's  innocence  adduced,  and  his  own  convic- 
tions sustained. 


GENERAL  NOYES  AND  THE  POET  WHITTIER 

General  Noyes  and  the  poet  Whittier  were  in- 
timate friends.  So  close  was  their  friendship  that 
when  the  General  went  to  the  seashore,  as  was  his 
custom,  to  spend  a  few  weeks  in  summer  at  Boar's 
Head  or  Eye  Beach,  Whittier,  if  at  home,  would 
come  down  to  see  him  and  put  up  at  the  same  hotel. 
The  first  time  the  poet  did  this,  General  Noyes 
asked  him :  "  Mr.  "Whittier,  how  long  do  you  ex- 
pect to  remain  here?"  "As  long  as  thee  does," 
was  the  reply ;  and  he  invariably  did  so. 

General  Noyes  was  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Supe- 
rior Court  at  the  time  I  was  clerk  of  the  Hamilton 
County  courts.  One  morning,  as  I  was  standing 
in  the  rotunda  of  the  court-house,  Judge  Noyes 


PERSONAL  INCIDENTS  277 

came  in,  and,  walking  up  to  me,  said :  "Mr.  Peas- 
lee,  did  you  see  Whittier  when  you  were  East ! ' ' 
' '  No,  Judge,  as  I  spent  only  two  days  at  my  old 
home,  and  as  "Whittier  was  at  Oak  Knoll,  I  didn't 
have  time  to  call  upon  him. "  General  Noyes  then 
spoke  of  the^attachment  and  love  that  existed  be- 
tween Whittier  and  himself,  related  the  incident 
above  mentioned,  and  told  how  they  first  became  ac- 
quainted at  a  railroad  station  as  each  was  walking 
up  and  down  the  platform,  waiting  for  a  train  that 
was  late,  and  then,  looking  me  earnestly  in  the  face, 
he  said:  "Do  you  know  that  Whittier's  'The 
Eternal  Goodness'  is  my  favorite  poem?"  and 
thereupon  he  recited,  in  his  eloquent  and  impressive 
style,  the  following  verses  that  I  had  put  together, 
they  being  separated  in  the  poem,  for  publication 
in  my  * '  Gem  Book : ' ' 

"  Yet,  in  the  maddening  maze  of  things, 

And  tossed  by  storm  and  flood, 
To  one  fixed  stake  my  spirit  clings : 
I  know  that  God  is  good. 

I  know  not  where  his  islands  lift 

There  fronded  palms  in  air, 
I  only  know  I  can  not  drift 

Beyond  his  love  and  care." 

I  shall  never  forget  the  expression  of  reverence 
and  trust  upon  his  countenance,  his  gracefully- 
curved  rising  and  falling  gestures,  the  peculiar 
but  pleasing  cadence  of  his  rich,  melodious  voice, 


278  PERSONAL  INCIDENTS 

as  General  Noyes  lifted  his  eyes  toward  heaven, 
and  repeated  the  last  line, 

"Beyond  His  love  and  care," 

reverently   bowing   his    head    at   the    final   word 
"care." 

The  Judge,  at  the  close  of  the  recitation,  said : 
"Mr.  Peaslee,  I  'm  not  feeling  well.  I  think  I  '11 
go  home.  I  had  rather  a  bad  night  of  it  last  night, 
and  Mrs.  Noyes  didn't  want  me  to  leave  the  house 
this  morning ;  but  I  thought  I  would  feel  better, 
and  came  down. "  "  Judge, ' '  said  I,  "if  you  are 
not  feeling  well,  I  advise  you  to  go  home. ' '  "We 
bade  each  other  good-morning,  and  General  Noyes 
started  for  home,  passing  through  the  county  au- 
ditor's office,  and  out  at  the  upper  Court  Street 
door.  It  seemed  but  a  moment  after  the  General 
left  me  when  one  of  the  deputies  in  the  auditor's 
office  came  rushing  into  the  hall,  and  said :  ' '  Mr. 
Peaslee,  your  friend  Judge  Noyes  is  dead.  He 
dropped  dead  on  the  sidewalk  only  a  few  steps 
from  the  court-house."  Grief -stricken,  but  hop- 
ing for  the  best,  I  hurried  out,  to  find  that  it  was, 
alas!  too  true.  Yes,  this  brilliant  son  of  Dart- 
mouth— General-Governor-Minister-Judge  Noyes 
— had  gone  to  his  eternal  rest,  beloved  and  hon- 
ored by  all  who  knew  him,  and,  thank  God !  in  the 
spirit  of  his  friend  "Whittier's  immortal  words, 
which  were  still  fresh  upon  his  lips. 


PERSONAL  INCIDENTS  279 

Being  known  as  a  friend  of  the  family,  I  was 
selected  to  break  the  news  to  Mrs.  Noyes.  Hard, 
hard,  indeed,  as  it  was,  I  did  so,  and  related  to 
this  noble,  gifted,  but  heart-broken  woman  the  in- 
cident that  occurred  on  the  very  eve  of  her  hus- 
band's death.  Mrs.  ISToyes  requested  me  to  select 
five  or  six  stanzas  from  ' '  The  Eternal  Goodness ' ' 
to  be  sung  at  the  funeral.  I  selected  six,  two  of 
which  were  those  which  General  Noyes  so  elo- 
quently and  touchingly  recited  on  that  fatal 
morning. 


Letters  from  American  Authors,  or 
their  Representatives,  Relating 
to  Author-day  and  "Arbor- 
day"  Celebrations  by  the 
Public  Schools  of 
Cincinnati 


281 


LETTEKS    FEOM    AMEKICAET    AIJTHOE8 

LETTERS  RELATING  TO  AUTHOR-DAY  CELE- 
BRATIONS 
WHITTIER-DAY,  DECEMBER,  17,  1889. 

LETTEB  FEOM  JOHN  GEEENLEAF  WHITTIEE. 

DANVEBS,  MASS.,  13  Mo.  23,  1879. 

My  Dear  Friend, — I  have  read  with  surprise  and 
pleasure  the  account  of  the  celebration  of  my  birth- 
day in  the  Cincinnati  schools.  I  am  glad  to  be 
thus  remembered  by  the  young  people  who  must 
erelong  take  the  places  of  the  men  and  women  of 
the  present  time. 

I  have  somewhere  seen  it  stated  that  Bernardin 
de  St.  Pierre,  the  author  of  "Paul  and  Virginia," 
read  the  manuscript  of  his  wonderful  story  to  a  se- 
lect company  of  literary  men,  who  heard  it  coldly 
and  with  no  word  of  approval.  He  was  grieved  and 
disappointed;  but,  when  some  of  the  young  child- 
friends  whom  he  loved,  called  on  him,  he  read  it  to 
them,  and  they  were  delighted  with  it.  Encour- 
aged by  this,  he  published  the  story,  and  it  is  now  a 
French  classic;  has  been  translated  into  all  lan- 
guages, and  will  be  read  and  admired  as  long  as 
there  are  boys  and  girls  in  the  world. 

For  myself,  as  an  author,  I  have,  perhaps,  been 
better  treated  by  the  public  than  I  deserved ;  but, 
if  ever  I  feel  myself  too  severely  censured  by  older 

283 


284       LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 

critics,  I  shall  appeal  from  their  judgments  to  my 
young  friends  by  the  beautiful  river  in  the  West. 
Let  me  say  that  I  am  glad  to  find  the  son  of  my  old 
neighbor  so  worthily  filling  the  responsible  position 
of  superintendent  of  the  schools  of  one  of  the  great 
cities  of  the  Union. 

I  am  very  truly  thy  friend, 

JOHN  G.  WHITTIBR. 

LONGFELLOW-DAY,  FEBRUARY  27,  1880. 

FROM  HENRY  WADSWORTH  LONGFELLOW. 

CAMBRIDGE,  Dec.  25,  1879. 

My  Dear  Sir, — I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  re- 
ceiving your  very  interesting  letter,  and  wish  it 
were  in  my  power  to  comply  with  your  request  to 
send  you  some  lines  to  be  read  on  the  occasion  you 
mention.  But  want  of  time  and  numerous  engage- 
ments render  it  impossible. 

I  can  only  send  you  my  Christmas  and  New- 
Year's  greeting  to  the  grand  army  of  your  pupils,  and 
ask  you  to  tell  them,  as  I  am  sure  you  have  often 
told  them  before,  to  live  up  to  the  best  that  is  in 
them;  to  live  noble  lives,  as  they  all  may,  in  what- 
ever condition  they  may  find  themselves,  so  that 
their  epitaph  may  be  that  of  Euripides:  "This 
monument  does  not  make  thee  famous,  0  Euripides ! 
but  thou  makest  this  monument  famous." 

With  best  wishes  for  yourself  and  all  your  pupils 
in  all  the  schools,  and  the  hope  that  your  labors 
may  be  crowned  with  perfect  success, 
I  am,  dear  sir,  yours  faithfully, 

HENRY  W.  LONGFELLOW. 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       285 


FROM  OLIVBB  WENDELL  HOLMES. 

BOSTON,  Feb.  14,  1880. 

Dear  Sir, — The  writers  whom  the  schools  of 
our  sister  city  have  honored  by  celebrating  their 
birthdays  should  be  very  grateful  to  them  and  to 
you.  There  is  no  place  which  an  author's  thoughts 
can  nestle  in  so  securely  as  the  memory  of  a  school- 
boy or  school-girl. 

I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  Mr.  Longfellow  a 
few  evening  since,  and  took  the  opportunity  of  tell- 
ing him  that  my  rhyming  machinery  was  out  of 
gear,  or  I  would  have  sent  some  lines  for  the  Cin- 
cinnati school  celebration  of  his  birthday.  The 
truth  is,  I  am  engaged  with  another  kind  of  work, 
and  it  will  never  do  to  shift  a  barrel  organ  from  one 
tune  to  another  while  it  is  playing.  It  must  get 
through  "  Old  Hundred"  before  it  strikes  up  "  Hail 
to  the  Chief!"  I  do  not  mean  that  I  am  writing  an 
epic,  or  a  tragedy,  or  an  ode,  but  that  my  stated 
duties  and  the  burdens  of  an  almost  unmanageable 
correspondence  are  about  as  much  as  I  am  equal  to. 

But  whether  it  is  said  in  verse  or  prose,  all  will 
agree  that  in  honoring  Mr.  Longfellow,  you  are 
honoring  the  literary  character  in  one  of  its  purest 
and  noblest  representatives — a  man  whom  any  coun- 
try might  be  proud  to  claim  as  its  laureate,  and  of 
whom  we,  who  are  his  neighbors,  can  say  truly  that 
we  know  him  by  heart  as  all  the  English-speaking 
world  know  his  poems. 

I  am,  dear  sir,  very  truly  yours, 

0.  W.  HOLMES. 


286     LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 

FROM  HENRY  WADSWORTH  LONGFELLOW. 

CAMBKIDGE,  Feb.  23,  1880. 

My  Dear  Sir, — I  am  glad  to  comply  with  your 
request  in  regard  to  your  "  Prose  and  Poetical  Se- 
lections." Please  make  use  of  any  poems  of  mine 
which  may  suit  your  purpose. 

I  am  deeply  touched  by  the  manner  in  which 
my  birthday  is  to  be  celebrated  by  teachers  and  pu- 
pils  of  your  schools.  I  have  received  many  letters 
upon  the  occasion — so  many  that  I  have  not  been 
able  to  answer  all  of  them  in  season,  which  I  regret 
extremely.  I  am  not,  and  do  not  wish  to  seem,  in- 
different to  such  an  honor.  But  I  have  felt  that  I 
ought  not  to  take  any  prominent  part  in  celebrating 
my  own  birthday.  I  can  only  be  thankful  for  the 
compliment,  and  send  my  good  wishes  to  all. 

With  great  regard,  I  am,  my  dear  sir, 
Yours  very  truly, 

HENRY  W.  LONGFELLOW. 


FROM  JOHN  GREENLEAF  WHITTIER. 

DANVERS,  MASS.,  3d  Mo.  3,  1880. 
JOHN  B.  PEASLEE,  ESQ.  : 

My  Dear  Friend, — I  am  happy  to  see  by  the 
copies  of  the  Cincinnati  papers  sent  me,  I  presume 
by  thyself,  the  accounts  of  the  successful  celebra- 
tion of  the  birthday  of  my  friend  Longfellow  by 
the  thousands  of  pupils  of  the  schools  under  thy 
supervision. 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       287 

It  was  a  happy  thought  of  thine — the  celebra- 
tion of  the  birthdays  of  those  eminent  in  literature, 
art,  and  patriotic  service — which  seems  to  be  every- 
where received  and  acted  upon. 
Congratulating  thee  upon  it, 

I  am  very  truly  thy  friend, 

JOHN  GREENLEAF  WHITTIEB. 

HOLMES-DAY,  DECEMBER  3,  1880. 

FROM  OLIVER  WENDELL  HOLMES. 

BOSTON,  November  20,  1880. 
My  Dear  Young  Friends, — You  are  doing  me 
great  honor  by  committing  some  of  my  lines  to 
memory,  and  bringing  me  so  kindly  into  remem- 
brance. If  I  had  known  how  much  was  to  be  made 
of  my  verses,  I  should  have  been  more  thoughtful 
and  more  careful  in  writing  them.  I  began  writing 
and  printing  my  poems  at  an  age  when  many  are  far 
advanced  in  wisdom ;  but  I  was  boyish  and  imma- 
ture. And  so  it  happens  that  some  productions  of 
mine  got  established  in  my  books  which  I  look  upon 
now  as  green  fruit,  which  had  better  been  left  un- 
gathered.  I  can  trust  the  keen  intelligence  of  my 
young  readers  to  discover  which  these  were.  After 
all,  it  sometimes  happens  that  youthful  readers  find 
a  certain  pleasure  in  writings  which  their  authors 
find  themselves  to  have  outgrown,  and  shake  their 
gray  heads  over  as  if  they  ought  to  have  written 
like  old  men  when  they  were  boys.  So  if  any  of 
you  can  laugh  over  any  of  my  early  verses,  unbut- 
ton your  small  jackets,  and  indulge  in  that  pleasing 
convulsion  to  your  hearts'  content. 


288       LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 

But  I  sincerely  hope  that  you  will  find  some- 
thing better  in  my  pages ;  and  if  you  will  remember 
me  by  "  The  Chambered  Nautilus,"  or  "  The  Prom- 
ise," or  "The  Living  Temple,"  your  memories  will 
be  a  monument  I  shall  think  more  of  than  any  of 
bronze  or  marble. 

With  best  wishes  for  your  happy  future, 
I  am  your  friend, 

OLIVER  WENDELL  HOLMES. 


FEOM  JOHN  GBEENLEAF  WHITTIEE. 

OAK  KNOLL,  DANVERS,  ) 
10th  Mo.  2,  1880.       j 

My  Dear  Friend,  John  B.  Peaslee,  Esq., — I  think 
we  makers  of  books  ought  to  be  grateful  to  thee  for 
introducing  us  to  the  young  people,  who  are  rising 
up  to  fill  our  places  more  worthily,  I  hope,  than  we 
have  done.  Apart  from  any  personal  interest  in 
the  matter,  it  is  surely  fitting  and  proper  to  keep 
the  youth  of  our  country  familiar  with  its  authors 
who  are  conscientiously  endeavoring  to  build  up 
American  literature,  or,  at  least,  to  lay  the  founda- 
tion-stones of  the  fabric. 

I  am  very  truly  thy  friend, 

JOHN  GREENLEAF  WHITTIEE. 

I  inclose  a  little  poem  lately  written  to  my  niece's 
little  boy,  who  bears  my  name.  The  Greenleafs 
were  of  Huguenot  stock.  The  French  poet  Marot 
furnished  the  religious  songs  and  hymns  at  the  time 
in  which  the  first  emigrant  to  America  lived. 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       289 


FROM  J.  G.  HOLLAND. 

EDITORIAL  ROOMS,  SCRIBNER'S  MAGAZINE, 
743  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK, 

Nov.  18,  1880. 
JOHN  B.  PEASLEE,  ESQ.  : 

My  Dear  Sir, — I  am  not  well  enough  or  suffi- 
ciently aloof  from  business  to  write  a  letter  worth 
reading  in  public ;  but  I  should  like  to  say  to  you, 
at  least,  how  very  warmly  I  admire  the  genius  of 
the  writer  whose  anniversary  you  celebrate,  and  how 
lively  my  sense  is  of  the  great  pleasure  his  work  has 
given  to  his  countrymen.  There  is  no  writer,  of 
either  prose  or  verse,  whose  work  is  surer  of  preser- 
vation in  the  loving  and  admiring  appreciation  of 
the  American  people  than  that  of  Dr.  Holmes.  He 
is  a  brilliant  wit,  a  genial  humorist,  and,  something 
more  and  better  than  these,  he  is  a  true  poet  and  a 
most  engaging  social  philosopher.  To  me,  his  work 
seems  more  crystalline  than  that  of  any  of  his  con- 
freres. There  is  never,  in  any  of  his  writings,  any 
suspicion  of  padding.  The  essential  elements,  ex- 
cluding all  mixtures  and  all  foreign  and  unneces- 
sary material,  assume  in  his  verse  a  form  which  can 
only  be  characterized  as  crystalline — every  angle 
and  facet  and  point  assuming  their  natural  rela- 
tions, and  producing  the  effect  of  a  creation  discov- 
ered rather  than  invented.  Some  of  his  stanzas  are 
so  natural  that  we  can  not  imagine  how  they  ever 
could  be  written  in  any  other  way. 

You  are  doing  a  good  thing  in  making  the  chil- 
dren under  your  care  acquainted  with  the  work  of 
19 


290       LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 

America's  highest  and  best,  and  in  teaching  them 
to  do  honor  to  literature  and  the  hearts  and  brains 
that  produce  it.  For  this,  every  literary  man  owes 
you  his  thanks.  Yours  very  truly, 

J.  G.  HOLLAND. 


FROM  W.  H.  VENABLE. 

Nov.  22,  1880. 
JOHN  B.  PEASLEE: 

Dear  Friend, — In  reply  to  your  polite  favor  of 
the  16th,  let  me  assure  you  that  I  am  much  inter- 
ested in  the  Holmes  anniversary  celebration  to  take 
place  on  the  3d  of  December. 

There  are  special  reasons  why  schools  and  school 
teachers  should  recognize  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  the 
"Autocrat,"  "Professor,"  and  "Poet"  of  the 
"Breakfast-table."  He  has  done  much,  as  you 
justly  remark,  "to  build  up  American  literature." 
He  has  also  done  much  to  build  up  a  noble  ideal  of 
American  society. 

Dr.  Holmes  may  be  ranked  as  an  educational  re- 
former, and  his  influence  is  none  the  less  potent  be- 
cause exerted  outside  the  usual  agencies.  His  heart 
has  never  grown  away  from  its  school-day  loves,  and 
he  never  fails  to  sympathize  with  both  teacher  and 
learner.  His  scientific  studies  lead  him  to  attach 
due  importance  to  the  physical  basis  of  life,  and  to 
conceive  a  rational  and  beautiful  philosophy  of  hu- 
man development,  in  which  both  body  and  soul  are 
constantly  recognized.  He  is  an  expert  in  physico- 
spiritual  analysis. 

Delighting  in  speculative  discussion,  Dr.  Holmes 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       291 

delights  yet  more  in  ascertained  facts,  and  his  the- 
ories are  always  ballasted  with  proof.  His  writings 
abound  in  wise,  practical  suggestions  in  regard  to 
the  conduct  of  the  intellect  and  the  affections. 
Even  his  novels  convey  invaluable  hints  and  pre- 
cepts on  education. 

Dr.  Holmes  is  a  sound  moralist  without  being  a 
moralizer.  He  exalts  virtue  by  assuming  her  su- 
premacy, not  by  proving  it.  He  worships  patriot- 
ism, thus  teaching  others  his  high  esteem  of  it. 
He  advocates  religion  by  believing  in  it. 

The  versatility  of  this  author  is  marvelous.  He 
writes  well  on  abstruse  science,  on  metaphysics,  and 
in  the  varied  departments  of  essay,  fiction,  and  po- 
etry. We  love  and  honor  Bryant  from  afar,  repelled 
by  the  rumor  that  he  was  cold ;  we  draw  near  to 
Longfellow  and  Whittier,  sure  of  a  cordial  welcome, 
yet  with  our  mind  tuned  to  a  pensive  mood ;  we  ap- 
proach Lowell  and  Holmes,  not  unprepared  for 
laughter  or  tears.  I  am  deeply  grateful  to  Dr. 
Holmes  because  he  opens  the  fountain  of  fun. 
That  man  is  a  benefactor  who  leads  New  England 
in  a  hearty  laugh,  or  even  in  a  lively  chuckle.  The 
Puritan  throat  especially  needs  such  exercise. 

Your  friend,  W.  H.  VENABLE. 

FROM  JOHN  J.  PIATT. 

NORTH  BEND,  OHIO,  Dec.  2,  1880. 
MR.  JOHN  B.  PEASLEE: 

Dear  Sir, — Pardon  me  for  my  tardiness  in  re- 
sponding to  your  favor  of  the  16th  ult.,  inviting 
Mrs.  Piatt  and  myself  to  contribute  somewhat  to 


292        LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 

the  celebration  of  the  seventy-first  anniversary  of 
Dr.  Holmes's  birthday  by  the  public  schools  of  Cin- 
cinnati. It  would  give  us  great  pleasure  to  be  able 
to  do  as  you  request ;  but  illness  on  the  part  of  Mrs. 
Piatt,  and  very  engrossing  and  exhaustive  office- 
work  on  my  part,  have  made  even  the  attempt  im- 
possible. I  can  only  express  our  cordial  sympathy 
with  one  object  of  the  celebration — to  honor,  in  a 
charming  way,  a  man  I  esteem  most  highly;  an  au- 
thor whose  works,  in  prose  or  verse,  "give  delight, 
and  hurt  not ;"  a  poet  I  greatly  admire,  whether  in 
such  happy  pieces  of  humor  as  "The  Last  Leaf" 
and  "The  Deacon's  Masterpiece,"  such  stirring, 
patriotic  ballads  as  "  Grandmother's  Story  of  Bunker 
Hill  Battle,"  such  finely  wrought  ethical  poems  as 
"The  Chambered  Xautilus,"  or  such  gayly  grave 
and  tenderly  pathetic  personal  expressions  as  ' '  The 
Iron  Gate." 

Your  school  boys  and  girls  will  love  him  most 
just  now,  doubtless,  for  the  latter  poem;  no,  per- 
haps they  will  love  him  most  for  it  some  years  hence, 
when  these  school-boys  come  to  remember  their 
school  boyhood,  and  the  school-girls  come  to  re- 
member— the  school-boys. 

Dr.  Holmes,  let  me  say  finally,  is  admirable  in 
many  ways.  He  is  a  "  many-sided  man  " — scientist, 
philosopher,  moralist,  poet,  wit,  humorist — and 
whatever  side  is  brought  to  view  seems,  for  the  time 
being,  the  brightest  side,  "the  side  that's  next 
the  sun." 

I  wish  I  might  here  relate  a  pleasant  little  per- 
sonal recollection  of  Dr.  Holmes.  Five  years  after 
he  became  famous  as  "  The  Autocrat  of  the  Break- 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       293 

fast-table"  (which  is  a  greater  empire  than  "All 
the  Russias"),  I  happened  to  be  walking  across  the 
college-green  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  in  company 
with — but  I  fear  I  shall  have  to  defer  my  personal 
recollections  until  I  can  find  more  room  than  that 
this  sheet  of  note-paper  gives  me ! 

With  thanks  for  your  kind  note  and  the  feeling 
that  prompted  it,  I  remain, 

Very  truly  yours,  JOHN  J.  PIATT. 


FBOM  OLIVEK  WENDELL  HOLMES. 

BOSTON,  Dec.  23,  1880. 

My  Dear  Mr.  Peaslee, — I  have  this  day  sent  you 
a  copy  of  my  Poems  in  a  more  comely  dress  than 
they  have  commonly  worn.  It  is  meant  only  to  re- 
mind you  that  I  am  very  grateful  for  all  the  care 
and  thought  you  have  expended  to  make  the  day  in 
which  my  poems  and  their  author  were  called  to 
mind  a  success.  And  certainly  you  succeeded  be- 
yond anything  I  could  have  dared  to  hope  when  I 
wrote  the  pieces  now  embalmed  in  so  many  young 
memories. 

It  is  a  tribute  that  any  writer  might  feel  himself 
honored  in  receiving ;  but  it  must  have  required  an 
amount  of  generous  labor  on  your  part  that  is  hard 
fully  to  appreciate  and  impossible  to  thank  you  for 
as  you  deserve.  Mr.  Houghton  tells  me  that  they 
have  sent  you  a  copy  of  my  books — or  those  of  them 
you  would  be  likely  to  care  for.  I  hope  you  will  let 
this  one  stand  by  itself,  as  a  memento  of  an  occa- 
sion which  you  deserve  the  main  credit  of  making  a 


294        LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 

success,  and  to  which  I  am  happy  to  feel  that  I  have 
contributed. 

Believe  me,  my  dear  sir, 

Sincerely  yours, 

OLIVER  WENDELL  HOLMES. 


WHITTIER-DAY,  DECEMBER  17,  1884. 

FEOM  JOHN  GREENLEAF  WHITTIER. 

OAK  KNOLL,  DANVERS,  12  Mo.  6,  1884. 
HON.  JOHN  B.  PEASLEE: 

Dear  Friend, — I  am  glad  to  know  that  I  am  to 
be  remembered  on  the  17th  inst.  in  the  schools  of 
Cincinnati.  Little  did  the  bashful  farmer-boy,  on 
the  banks  of  the  Merrimac,  more  than  sixty  years 
ago,  know  of  the  Great  West,  or  dream  that  he 
would  live  to  be  greeted  by  the  united  voices  of  the 
school  children  of  a  great  city  on  the  then  almost 
unknown  "Beautiful  Eiver."  I  can  scarcely  real- 
ize that  boy  and  the  aged  man  are  one  and  the  same. 
With  thanks  for  thy  note, 

I  am  very  faithfully  thy  old  friend, 

JOHN  G.  WHITTIBB. 

FROM  REV.  HOWARD  A.  JOHNSTON. 

EAST  WALNUT  HILLS,  Dec.  3,  1885. 
DR.  JOHN  B.  PEASLEE: 

Dear  Sir, — Two  editions  of  the  Evening  Post 
have  been  mailed  to  me  with  articles  containing  ac- 
counts of  your  efforts  to  secure  the  observance  of 
"  Authors'  Days." 

I  desire  to  thank  you  for  the  manifest  zeal  which 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       295 

you  have  shown  for  years  in  this  direction.  As  one 
who  seeks  the  "heart  culture"  for  the  children,  I 
am  in  fullest  sympathy  with  your  methods,  and  be- 
lieve they  are  productive  of  great  good. 

"Memory  Gems"  are  crystallized  formulae  of 
truth  which  sink  into  the  child's  mind,  and  their 
beauty  and  strength  will  develop  in  after  years  with 
effect  upon  the  life,  fostering  aspirations  and  fixing 
purposes  to  live  in  the  integrity  and  nobility  of 
manhood.  The  seeds  sown  to-day  will  bring  forth 
precious  fruit.  Most  cordially, 

HOWARD  A.  JOHNSTON. 

COMMENDING  MEMORY  GEMS. 

FROM  J.  T.  HEADLET. 

NEWBURGH,  Jan.  29,  1886. 
JOHN  B.  PEASLEE,  Superintendent  of 

Public  Instruction,  Cincinnati,  Ohio: 
My  Dear  Sir, — Please  accept  my  thanks  for  your 
educational  report.  I  have  looked  over  it  with  great 
interest.  The  historical  feature  in  your  system 
can  not  be  too  much  praised.  I  was,  however,  es- 
pecially interested  in  the  "Memory  Gems."  It  is 
a  mode  of  moral  teaching  that  can  not  be  overes- 
timated, and  to  which  no  one  can  object.  It  is  far 
better  than  all  dogmatic  teaching  or  dry  precepts, 
however  excellent  they  may  be.  It  fixes  moral 
lessons  in  the  heart  rather  than  in  mere  memory, 
and  at  the  same  time  cultivates  the  taste  and  re- 
fines the  feelings.  It  should  be  introduced  into 
every  school.  Yours  very  truly, 

J.  T.  HEADLEY. 


296        LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 


CELEBRATION  OP  THE  FIRST  SETTLEMENT  OF  OHIO, 
APRIL  7,  1881. 

FROM  W.  D.  GALLAGHER. 

PEWEE  VALLEY,  KY.,  April  4,  1881. 
PROF.  JOHN  B.  PEASLEE,  Superintendent 

Public  Schools,  Cincinnati,  Ohio: 

Dear  Sir, — "I  will  if  I  can"  was  the  exclama- 
tion I  made  in  thought,  a  few  days  ago,  upon  re- 
ceiving your  polite  invitation  to  be  present  on  the 
7th  inst.  at  the  celebration,  by  the  Woodward, 
Hughes,  and  Gaines  High  Schools  of  Cincinnati, 
of  the  ninety-third  anniversary  of  the  settlement 
of  Ohio.  I  find  now,  however,  much  to  my  regret, 
that  I  shall  not  be  able  to  do  so. 

It  is  a  source  of  great  and  abiding  pleasure  with 
me  to  find  that  the  "Plymouth  Eock  of  Ohio," 
which  was  called  at  the  time  the  Ordinance  of 
'Eighty-seven,  and  planted  with  due  ceremony  at 
Marietta  nearly  a  century  ago,  continues  so  firmly 
imbedded  in  the  hearts  and  heads  of  the  first  set- 
tlers of  the  Northwestern  Territory.  It  was  a  great 
rock,  it  had  a  grand  destiny,  and  its  influence  has 
been  nothing  less  than  wonderful.  In  a  moral  and 
mental  aspect,  it  is  the  Gibraltar  of  our  whole  land. 
Never  has  fort  or  citadel  on  this  continent  been  as- 
sailed as  it  has.  Never  has  shot  or  shell,  or  can- 
ister and  grape,  or  bombs  the  most  direful  known 
to  human  use,  been  more  persistently  brought  to 
bear  upon  any  point  or  object  of  attack,  and  never, 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       297 

It  can  be  truly  said,  has  an  object  assaulted  so  fiercely 
withstood  the  force  and  fury  brought  against  it  as 
that  Plymouth  Eock  of  Ohio,  the  Ordinance  of 
'Eighty-seven.  It  was  unfettering  of  hands,  it  was 
freeing  of  limbs,  it  was  enfranchising  of  souls — no 
interference  thereafter  with  modes  of  worship 
throughout  the  broad  domain,  no  suspension  of 
habeas  corpus,  no  slavery  or  involuntary  servitude. 
And  look  at  the  results :  Merely  a  nominal  popula- 
tion when  our  first  census  was  taken,  swollen  within 
fifty  years  (1840)  to  2,681,516,  and  within  thirty 
years  more  to  6,885,788,  which  was  the  aggregate 
population  returned  in  1870  by  the  census  of  that 
year  for  the  three  States  (Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illi- 
nois) erected  out  of  the  Northwest  Territory  by  the 
Ordinance  of  '87.  All  honor  to  that  grand  old  or- 
dinance and  the  lofty  spirits  that  inspired  it,  chief 
among  whom  were  Thomas  Jefferson,  of  Virginia, 
and  Kufus  King,  of  Massachusetts! 

The  anniversary  of  the  day  upon  which  the  first 
settlers  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum  Eiver 
on  the  Adventure  Galley,*1  and  reported  at  Fort 
Harmar  (April  7,  1788),  has  long  been  observed  by 
the  Pioneer  Association  of  Ohio ;  and  now  the  su- 
perintendent of  the  public  schools  of  Cincinnati, 
in  making  provision  for  the  commemoration  of  that 
day  by  the  pupils  of  the  high  schools  under  his 
general  charge,  honors  himself,  as  well  as  aids  in 
inspiring  and  developing  a  true  manhood  and  a  true 
womanhood  in  the  generation  soon  to  leave  its  Alma 
Mater  and  enter  the  active  sphere  of  life. 

Inasmuch  as  I  can  not  be  with  you  myself  on 


298       LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 

the  interesting  occasion  referred  to,  I  send,  for  such 
disposition  as  you  may  see  proper  to  make  of  it,  the 
following  representative,  and  am, 

Very  respectfully  yours, 

W.  D.  GALLAGHER. 

On  the  brave  Adventure  Galley, 

In  the  stirring  times  of  old, 
Ere  our  country  as  a  nation 

Its  first  decade  yet  had  told, 

Sailed  a  band  of  gallant  spirits, 

In  the  springtime  of  the  year, 
Filled  with  hope  and  expectation, 

Yielding  not  to  doubt  or  fear. 

Armed  with  "Ord'nance  'Eighty-seven," 
On  the  decks  they  took  their  stand ; 

And  the  brightest  smiles  from  heaven 
Cheered  them  as  they  cleared  from  land. 

On  the  banks  of  the  Muskingum, 

Near  Ohio's  gleaming  tide, 
From  a  clear  and  quiet  harbor, 

Soon  a  fortress  they  espied. 

To  the  flag  that  floated  o'er  it, 

Grave  they  salutation  due, 
And  the  woods  and  waters  echoed, 

As  they  sang  "  Red,  White,  and  Blue." 

Disembarking,  they  were  welcomed 

By  the  cannon  of  the  fort ; 
As  they  upward  marched  in  order, 

And  made  full  and  fair  report. 

'Soon  the  summer  came  in  beauty, 

And  from  near  and  far  away, 
Gathered  'round  the  welcoming  fortress, 
New  recruits  from  day  to  day. 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       299 

Then  within  a  green  pavilion, 

Formed  by  high  o'erarching  trees, 
Where  the  wild  wood  shrubs  and  blossoms 

Filled  with  sweetness  every  breeze, 

Stood  a  large  and  brave  assemblage 

Of  determined,  thoughtful  men, 
Giving  heed  to  words  of  wisdom 

Which  they  had  not  heard  till  then. 

Here  the  law  of  'Eighty-seven 

In  the  Ordinance  was  proclaimed ; 
Here  the  sacred  right  of  freedom 

For  humanity  was  named  ; 

Here  the  chart,  and  there  the  compass, 

For  the  many,  for  the  few — 
Fully,  fairly,  clearly  pictured — 

Were  distinctly  brought  to  view ; 

Here  the  weak  were  well  protected 

From  the  fury  of  the  strong ; 
There  the  right  rose  up  in  triumph, 

As  went  down  the  festering  wrong. 

The  broad  Territory  prospered, 

Though  awhile  disturbed  by  war ; 
And  its  thousands  grew  to  millions, 

Lighted  on  by  freedom's  star. 

And  from  Pennsylvania's  border 

To  the  Mississippi's  bound, 
From  the  Lakes  to  the  Ohio, 

Soon  their  happy  homes  were  found. 

Long  and  oft  the  high  green  arches 

Of  their  forest-temples  rang, 
As  they  spoke  of  joy  in  heaven, 

As  of  peace  on  earth  they  sang. 


300       LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 

Look  for  wisdom  to  the  pages 

Of  profane  or  holy  writ ; 
At  the  feet  of  seers  and  sages, 

Seeking  counsel,  humbly  sit, — 

Yet  you  '11  get  not  many  lessons, 

Scan  all  closely  as  you  may, 
Equal  to  that  given  THE  SETTLERS 

At  the  threshold  of  their  way. 

To  the  ORDINANCE,  now,  all  honor ! 

For  the  Pioneers,  due  praise  1 
And  still  be  the  yearly  tribute 

Given  to  this  Day  of  Days ! 


LETTERS   RELATING  TO   ARBOR-DAY   CELEBRA- 
TION, 1882. 

FKOM  JOHN  G.  WHITTIER. 

OAK  KNOLL,  DANVERS,  MASS.,  ) 
4  Mo.  25,  1882.        j 
JOHN  B.  PEASLEE: 

My  Dear  Friend, — I  thank  thee  for  the  invitation 
to  attend  the  meeting  of  the  Forestry  Convention 
in  the  city  of  Cincinnati.  For  many  years  I  have 
felt  a  deep  interest  in  the  conservation  of  our  for- 
ests and  the  planting  of  trees.  The  wealth,  beauty, 
fertility,  and  healthfulness  of  the  country  largely 
depend  upon  it.  My  indignation  is  yearly  aroused 
by  the  needless  sacrifice  of  some  noble  oak  or  elm, 
and  especially  of  the  white  pine,  the  grandest  tree 
in  our  woods,  which  I  would  not  exchange  for  Ori- 
ental palms. 

My  thanks  will  be  due  to  the  public  school  which 
is  to  plant  a  group  of  trees  in  your  Eden  Park  in 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS        301 

my  honor.  I  could  ask  no  better  memorial.  I 
have  always  admired  the  good  taste  of  the  Sokokis 
Indians,  around  Sebago  Lake,  who,  when  their  chief 
died,  dug  around  a  beech-tree,  swaying  it  down,  and 
placed  his  body  in  the  rent,  and  then  let  the  noble 
tree  fall  back  into  its  original  place,  a  green  and 
beautiful  monument  for  a  son  of  the  forest. 

It  would  give  me  great  pleasure  to  attend  the 
Convention,  but  my  health  is  not  equal  to  the  effort. 
I  am  very  truly  thy  friend, 

JOHN  G.  WHITTIEE. 

FROM  ELLEN  T.  EMERSON. 

(Daughter  of  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson.) 

CONCORD,  1  May,  1882. 

Dear  Sir, — Your  letter,  announcing  to  my  father 
the  planting  of  a  grove  of  oaks  in  memory  of  his 
work,  and  the  honor  paid  him  by  the  Hughes  High 
School,  last  week,  came  when  he  was  too  ill  to  hear 
it ;  but  it  gave  pleasure  to  his  family,  and  we  send 
our  thanks.  Yours  truly, 

ELLEN  T.  EMERSON. 

FROM  OLIVER  WENDELL  HOLMES. 

BOSTON,  April  24,  1882. 

Dear  Mr.  Peaslee, — You  are  very  kind  to  write 
me  so  full  an  account  of  the  proposed  forestry  cele- 
bration. I  wish  I  were  back  again,  for  the  time,  on 
my  old  place  at  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  where  I  set  out  a 
large  number  of  trees  twenty-five  years  ago,  and 
made  a  barren  sand-hill  into  a  beautiful  grove — so 
I  see  by  the  photographs  of  the  place ;  for  I  have 
never  had  the  courage  to  visit  it  since  I  sold  it. 


302        LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 

The  little  wayside  place  where  I  pass  my  sum- 
mers has  nothing  on  it  transportable,  or  I  should 
delight  in  sending  you  a  treeling. 

I  think  the  idea  a  very  happy  one  of  enlisting 
the  enthusiasm  of  the  young — and  perhaps  old,  too — 
persons  in  making  plantations,  and  it  kills  two  birds 
with  one  stone  to  make  trees  monuments  of  history 
and  character. 

I  can't  help  admiring  the  fresh  activity  and  en- 
terprise of  your  Western  city,  and  wondering  how 
soon  our  old  centers  of  civilization  will  have  to  go 
to  school  to  their  younger  sisters. 

Believe  me,  my  dear  sir, 

Very  truly  yours, 

0.  W.  HOLMES. 

FEOM  MKS.  JAMES  T.  FIELDS. 

April  25,  1882,          ) 
148  CHAELES  STREET,  BOSTON.  \ 
JOHN  B.  PEASLEE,  ESQ.  : 

Dear  Sir, — Your  letter,  informing  me  that  the 
pupils  of  the  Twenty-fourth  District  School  of  Cin- 
cinnati are  to  plant  a  group  of  trees  in  your  beau- 
tiful park  to  the  memory  of  my  husband,  gives  me 
sincere  pleasure. 

No  American  has  been  more  sincerely  interested 
than  he  in  the  preservation  of  our  forests  and  the 
growth  of  our  parks. 

The  elevating  influence  of  nature  over  those  who 
live  in  cities  was  never  more  tenderly  recognized 
than  by  him.  He  found  in  Cincinnati  a  natural 
home  of  art  and  an  artistic  home  of  nature  which 
he  believed  would  find  sure  development. 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       303 

This  first  annual  meeting  of  the  National  For- 
estry Congress  in  your  city  proves  that  she  is  leading 
the  way  for  the  advancement  of  our  whole  land. 
She  is  showing  our  people  how  Niagara  may  be  pre- 
served in  its  natural  loveliness,  and  how  Boston  may 
yet  rescue  its  beautiful  water-side. 

I  am  sure  the  boys  who  wear  the  badge  with  the 
name  of  James  T.  Fields  are  not  altogether  ignorant 
of  his  interest  in  them  and  their  pursuits.  His 
pleasantest  memories  and  pleasantest  occupations 
were  country  rambles  with  the  boys ;  he  was  always 
one  with  them.  Believe  me, 

Very  truly  yours,  ANNIE  FIELDS. 


FBOM  MBS.  Louis  AGASSIZ. 

CAMBBIDGE,  April  28,  1882. 

Dear  Sir, — Allow  me  to  acknowledge  your  note 
of  the  20th  of  April  to  my  son,  and  to  thank  you 
for  informing  us  of  your  pleasant  plan  for  Arbor- 
day.  Nothing  could  be  more  delightful  to  us  than 
to  know  that  the  name  of  Agassiz  is  still  associated 
with  the  progress  of  education  in  this  country. 
Everything  concerning  the  welfare  of  the  public 
schools  had  the  deepest  interest  for  Mr.  Agassiz 
during  his  life,  and  nothing  would  have  pleased 
him  more  than  to  be  remembered,  after  he  was  gone, 
by  the  children  of  the  public  schools. 

With  the  best  wishes  for  the  "Agassiz  Forestry 
Cadets,"  I  remain, 

Very  respectfully  yours, 

ELIZABETH  C.  AGASSIZ. 


304       LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 

FROM  W.  D.  HOWELLS. 

BOSTON,  May  1,  1882. 

My  Dear  Sir, — I  beg  you  to  convey  to  the 
Twenty-eighth  District  School  of  Cincinnati  my 
very  sincere  thanks  for  the  great  honor  they  have 
done  me  in  planting  a  group  of  trees  in  recognition 
of  what  I  have  thought  in  literature.  I  hope  they 
did  not  forget  that  I  am  myself  a  Buckeye,  and 
that  the  Miami  woods  were  all  akin  to  me  once. 

If  sometimes  one  of  the  school  should  write  me 
how  the  trees  nourish,  I  would  be  very  glad. 

Thanking  you  personally  for  your  kindness  in 
communicating  this  gratifying  fact  to  me, 
I  am  yours,  very  respectfully, 

W.  D.  HOWELLS. 

FROM  HARRIET  BEECHER  STOWE. 

MANDARIN,  FLA.,  April  28,  1882. 
JOHN  B.  PEASLEE: 

Dear  Sir, — Your  letter  being  sent  to  Andover, 
where  I  no  longer  reside,  and  redirected  to  my  win- 
ter home  in  this  State,  did  not  reach  me  till  after 
the  time  when  I  was  invited  to  be  present. 

It  is  very  pleasant,  however,  to  receive  this  no- 
tice from  a  city  which  was  my  home  so  many  years, 
and  where  I  formed  many  friendly  associations.  I 
am  especially  touched  with  the  favor  which  the 
Gaines  Colored  School  has  shown  me  in  planting  a 
tree  for  me  in  your  new  plantation,  and  beg  you  will 
express  to  them,  in  my  name,  my  appreciation  of 
the  kind  feeling  they  have  thus  shown. 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       305 

I  trust  that  their  school  education  will  open  for 
them  a  brighter  future,  both  in  this  life  and  a  bet- 
ter one  beyond. 

Looking  back  on  the  time  of  my  residence  there, 
I  can  not  but  thank  God  and  take  courage  for  the 
future. 

Allow  me  to  add  that  I  am  delighted  to  see  rising 
in  Cincinnati  the  much-needed  effort  to  perpetuate 
our  American  forests.  It  is  a  subject  that  has  lately 
interested  me  greatly,  and  it  is  well  that  Cincinnati 
should  take  the  lead  in  that  as  in  so  many  other 
noble  works  of  beauty  and  utility. 

Wishing  all  success  to  your  efforts, 

I  am  cordially  yours,        H.  B.  STOWE. 

FKOM  "W.  H.  VENABLE. 

CINCINNATI,  April  24,  1882. 
SUPERINTENDENT  JOHN  B.  PEASLEE: 

Dear  Sir, — In  response  to  your  courteous  letter, 
I  send  you  the  following  verses,  in  which  I  try  to 
express  my  sentiments  in  regard  to  trees. 
Yours  cordially, 

W.  H.  VENABLE. 

FOXIEST  SONG 

A  song  for  the  beautiful  trees, 

A  song  for  the  forest  grand, — 

The  garden  of  God's  own  hand, 
The  pride  of  his  centuries ! 
Hurrah,  for  the  kingly  oak ! 

For  the  maple,  the  forest  queen ! 
For  the  lords  of  the  emerald  cloak ! 

For  the  ladies  in  living  green  J 
20 


306        LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 

For  the  beautiful  trees  a  song, 
The  peers  of  a  glorious  realm, — 
The  linden,  the  ash,  and  the  elm, 

So  brave  and  majestic  and  strong  I 

Hurrah,  for  the  beech-tree  trim! 
For  the  hickory,  stanch  at  core ! 

For  the  locust,  thorny  and  grim ! 
For  the  silvery  sycamore ! 


A  song  for  the  palm,  the  pine, 
And  for  every  tree  that  grows, 
From  the  desolate  zone  of  snows 

To  the  zone  of  the  burning  line  I 

Hurrah,  for  the  warders  proud 
Of  the  mountain-side  and  vale, 

That  challenge  the  lightning  cloud, 
And  buffet  the  stormy  gale ! 


A  song  for  the  forest  aisled, 
"With  its  Gothic  roof  sublime, 
The  solemn  temple  of  Time, 

"Where  man  becometh  a  child, 

As  he  listens  the  anthem-roll 
Of  the  wind  in  ihe  solitude, 

The  hymn  that  telleth  his  soul 
That  God  is  the  Lord  of  the  wood. 


So  long  as  the  rivers  flow, 
So  long  as  the  mountains  rise, 
May  the  forests  sing  to  the  skies, 

And  shelter  the  earth  below ! 

Hurrah,  for  the  beautiful  trees ! 
Hurrah,  for  the  forest  grand, — 

The  pride  of  his  centuries, 
The  garden  of  God's  own  hand ! 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       307 


"ARBOR-DAY"  CELEBRATION  OF  1883. 

FROM  OLIVER  WENDELL  HOLMES. 

BOSTON,  MASS.,  March  18,  1883. 
MR.  JOHN  B.  PEASLEE: 

Dear  Sir, — You  and  your  friends  have  chosen  a 
very  pleasant  and  most  useful  way  of  commemorat- 
ing some  of  the  authors  whom  you  think  worthy  of 
being  remembered  by  their  fellow-countrymen.  I 
hope  that  the  example  set  of  planting  trees  as  their 
monuments  will  do  as  much  for  American  landscape 
as  the  best  of  our  authorship  has  done  for  American 
literature. 

The  trees  may  outlive  the  memory  of  more  than 
one  of  those  in  whose  honor  they  were  planted. 
But  if  it  is  something  to  make  two  blades  of  grass 
grow  where  only  one  was  growing,  it  is  much  more 
to  have  been  the  occasion  of  the  planting  of  an  oak 
which  shall  defy  twenty  scores  of  winters,  or  of  an 
elm  which  shall  canopy  with  its  green  cloud  of  fo- 
liage half  as  many  generations  of  mortal  immortal- 
ities. I  have  written  many  verses;  but  the  best 
poems  I  have  produced  are  the  trees  I  planted  on 
the  hillside  which  overlooked  the  broad  meadows, 
scalloped  and  rounded  at  their  edges  by  loops  of  the 
sinuous  Housatonic.  Nature  finds  rhymes  for  them 
in  the  recurring  measures  of  the  seasons.  Winter 
strips  them  of  their  ornaments,  and  gives  them,  as 
it  were,  in  prose  translation,  and  summer  reclothes 
them  in  all  the  splendid  phrases  of  their  leafy 
language. 


308        LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 

What  are  these  maples  and  beeches  and  birches 
but  odes  and  idyls  and  madrigals  ?  What  are  these 
pines  and  firs  and  spruces  but  holy  hymns,  too  sol- 
emn for  the  many-hued  raiment  of  their  gay  decid- 
uous neighbors  ? 

But  I  must  not  let  my  fancy  run  away  with  me. 
It  is  enough  to  know  that  when  we  plant  a  tree,  we 
are  doing  what  we  can  to  make  our  planet  a  more 
wholesome  and  happier  dwelling-place  for  those  who 
come  after  us,  if  not  for  ourselves. 

As  you  drop  the  seed,  as  you  plant  the  sapling, 
your  left  hand  hardly  knows  what  your  right  hand 
is  doing.  But  nature  knows,  and  in  due  time  the 
Power  that  sees  and  works  in  secret  will  reward  you 
openly.  You  have  been  warned  against  hiding  your 
talent  in  a  napkin ;  but  if  your  talent  takes  the  form 
of  a  maple-key  or  an  acorn,  and  your  napkin  is  a 
shred  of  the  apron  that  covers  "the  lap  of  the 
earth,"  you  may  hide  it  there,  unblamed;  and  when 
you  render  in  your  account,  you  will  find  that  your 
deposit  has  been  drawing  compound  interest  all  the 
time.  .  .  . 

Believe  me,  dear  Mr.  Peaslee, 
Very  truly  yours, 

OLIVER  WENDELL  HOLMES. 


FBOM  BEN-SON  J.  LOSSING,  HISTORIAN. 

"  THE  EIDGE,"  DOVER  PLAINS,       ) 
DUTOHESS  Co.,  KT.  Y.,  April  9, 1883.  f 

My  Dear  Sir, — What  conqueror,  in  any  part  of 
"life's  broad  field  of  battle,"  could  desire  a  more 
beautiful,  a  more  noble,  or  a  more  patriotic  monu- 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       309 

ment  than  a  tree,  planted  by  the  hands  of  pure  and 
joyous  children,  as  a  memorial  of  his  achievements  ? 

What  earnest,  honest  worker  with  hand  and 
brain,  for  the  benefit  of  his  fellow-men,  could  De- 
sire a  more  pleasing  recognition  of  his  usefulness 
than  such  a  monument,  a  symbol  of  his  or  her  pro- 
ductions, ever  growing,  ever  blooming,  and  ever 
bearing  wholesome  fruit  ? 

Trees,  already  grown  ancient,  have  been  conse- 
crated by  the  presence  of  eminent  personages  or  by 
some  conspicuous  event  in  our  national  history, 
such  as  the  elm-tree  at  Philadelphia,  at  which  Will- 
iam Penn  made  his  famous  treaty  with  nineteen 
tribes  of  barbarians;  the  Charter  Oak  at  Hartford, 
which  preserved  the  written  guarantee  of  the  lib- 
erties of  the  Colony  of  Connecticut;  the  wide- 
spreading  oak-tree  of  Flushing,  Long  Island,  under 
which  George  Fox,  the  founder  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  or  Quakers,  preached;  the  lofty  cypress- 
tree  in  the  Dismal  Swamp,  under  which  Washington 
reposed  one  night  in  his  young  manhood ;  the  huge 
French  apple-tree  near  Ft.  Wayne,  Ind.,  where  Lit- 
tle Turtle,  the  great  Miami  chief,  gathered  his  war- 
riors; the  elm-tree  at  Cambridge,  in  the  shade  of 
which  Washington  first  took  command  of  the  Con- 
tinental army  on  a  hot  summer's  day ;  the  tulip-tree 
on  King's  Mountain  battle-field  in  South  Carolina, 
on  which  ten  bloodthirsty  Tories  were  hung  at  one 
time;  the  tall  pine-tree  at  Ft.  Edward,  N.  Y.,  under 
which  the  beautiful  Jane  McCrea  was  slain;  the 
magnificent  black  walnut-tree,  near  Haverstraw  on 
the  Hudson,  at  which  General  Wayne  mustered  his 
forces  at  midnight,  preparatory  to  his  gallant  and 


310        LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 

successful  attack  on  Stony  Point;  the  grand  mag- 
nolia-tree near  Charleston,  S.  C.,  under  which  Gen- 
eral Lincoln  held  a  council  of  war  previous  to  sur- 
rendering the  city ;  the  great  pecan-tree  at  Villere's 
plantation,  below  New  Orleans,  under  which  a  por- 
tion of  the  remains  of  General  Pakenham  was 
buried;  and  the  pear-trees,  planted  respectively  by 
Governor  Endicott  of  Massachusetts  and  Governor 
Stuyvesant  of  New  York  more  than  two  hundred 
years  ago. 

These  trees  all  have  a  place  in  our  national  his- 
tory, and  are  inseparable  from  it,  because  they  were 
so  consecrated.  My  eyes  have  seen  all  but  one  of 
them,  and  patriotic  emotions  were  excited  at  the 
sight.  How  much  more  significant  and  suggestive 
is  the  dedication  of  a  young  tree  as  a  monument! 

The  memorial  trees  which  the  children  of  Cin- 
cinnati planted  in  Eden  Park — Eden !  wherein  man's 
hand  first  planted  a  tree.  It  was  the  beginning  of 
temple-building  for  the  worship  of  the  "unknown 
God."  Your  children  are  fashioning  a  magnificent 
fane,  such  as  was  used  for  worship  in  the  youth- 
hood  of  the  human  race ;  for,  as  our  beloved  Bry- 
ant says : 

"  The  groves  were  God's  first  temples.    Ere  man  learned 
To  hew  the  shaft,  and  lay  the  architrave, 
And  spread  the  roof  above  them ;  ere  he  framed 
The  lofty  vault,  to  gather  and  roll  back 
The  sound  of  anthems,— in  the  darkling  wood, 
Amidst  this  cool  and  silence,  he  knelt  down, 
And  offered  to  the  Mightiest  solemn  thanks 
And  supplication." 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       311 

Please  convey  my  thanks  especially  to  the  young 
people  who  have  honored  me  by  planting  a  group  of 
trees,  dedicated  to  me;    and  accept  my  kindest  sal- 
utation for  yourself  and  your  associates. 
Most  sincerely,  your  friend, 

BENSON  J.  LOSSING. 
ME.  JOHN  B.  PEASLEE,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

FROM  J.  T.  HEADLEY,  HISTORIAN. 

NEWBURGH,  N".  Y.,  March  30,  1883. 
MR.  JOHN  B.  PEASLEE: 

Dear  Sir, — It  is  gratifying  to  see  Ohio  take  such 
deep  interest  in  tree-planting,  which  is  beginning 
so  strongly  to  attract  public  attention.  Setting 
apart  one  day  for  this  purpose,  and  making  it  a 
general  holiday,  will  add  attractiveness  to  utility, 
and  give  it  a  deeper  hold  on  the  popular  heart. 
But  the  happiest  thought  of  all  was,  to  make  it  a 
holiday  for  the  public  schools,  and  have  the  chil- 
dren practically  take  part  in  it,  and  set  out  groups 
of  trees  for  their  favorite  authors.  You  thus  not 
only  connect  trees  with  the  associations  of  child- 
hood and  their  pleasantest  holidays,  but  with  authors 
from  whom  they  receive  their  earliest  and  best  im- 
pressions. 

We  sometimes  forget  that  the  highest  aim  of  ed- 
ucation is  to  form  right  character,  and  that  is  ac- 
complished more  by  impressions  made  upon  the 
heart  than  by  knowledge  imparted  to  the  mind. 

The  awakening  of  our  best  sympathies,  the  cul- 
tivation of  our  best  and  purest  tastes,  strengthening 


31 2        LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 

the  desire  to  be  useful  and  good,  and  directing 
youthful  ambition  to  unselfish  ends, — such  are  the 
objects  of  true  education.  Surely  nothing  can  be 
better  calculated  to  procure  these  ends  than  the 
holiday  you  have  set  apart  for  the  public  schools. 

Yours  very  truly,  J.  T.  HEADLEY. 

P.  S. — I  see  by  your  plan  of  "moral  instruc- 
tion" and  for  "beautifying  school-rooms,"  that  you 
agree  with  me  that  education  consists  as  much  in 
making  good  impressions  as  imparting  intellectual 
knowledge.  H. 

FBOM  MONCTJRE  D.  CONWAY. 

LONDON,  March  29,  1883. 

Dear  Sir, — It  is  a  great  pleasure  to  me  to  think 
of  the  young  people  of  Cincinnati  assembling  to 
celebrate  the  planting  of  trees,  and  connecting  them 
with  the  names  of  authors  whose  works  are  the  far- 
ther and  higher  products  of  our  dear  old  Mother 
Nature.  An  Oriental  poet  says  of  his  hero : 

"  Sunshine  was  he  in  a  wintry  place ; 
And  in  midsummer,  coolness  and  shade." 

Such  are  all  true  thinkers;  and  no  truer  monu- 
ments of  them  can  exist  than  beautiful  trees.  Our 
word  book  is  from  the  beech  tablets  on  which  men 
used  to  write.  Our  word  bible  is  from  the  Greek 
for  bark  of  a  tree.  Our  word  paper  is  from  the 
tree  papyrus,  the  tree  which  Emerson  found  the 
most  interesting  thing  he  saw  in  Sicily.  Our  word 
library  is  from  the  Latin  liber ',  bark  of  a  tree. 
Thus  literature  is  traceable  in  the  growth  of  trees, 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       313 

and  was  originally  written  on  leaves  and  wooden 
tablets.  The  West  responds  to  the  East  in  associ- 
ating great  writers  with  groups  of  trees;  and  a 
grateful  posterity  will  appreciate  the  poetry  of  this 
idea  as  well  while  it  enjoys  the  shade  and  beauty 
which  the  schools  are  securing  for  it. 
Very  faithfully  yours, 

MONCURE  D.  CONWAY. 


FROM  MRS.  HARRIET  DENNISON  BEAD. 

(Widow  of  the  late  T.  Buchanan  Bead,  of  Cincinnati.) 

MANHEIM  STREET,  GERMANTOWN,  ) 
April  2,  1883.        \ 

MR.  JOHN  B.  PEASLEE  : 

Dear  Sir, — Thank  you  for  your  interesting  let- 
ter, telling  me  of  "Authors'  Grove,"  and  of  the 
memorial  stones  to  be  placed  there  on  "  Arbor-day." 
It  gives  me  so  much  pleasure  to  know  that  one  who 
loved  the  State  and  her  beautiful  city,  Cincinnati, 
as  Mr.  Eead  did,  should  receive  proof  of  affection 
and  appreciation.  Mr.  Read  was  a  true  worshiper 
of  nature.  Her  groves  were  to  him,  as  to  Bryant, 
"  God's  first  temples,"  and  many  of  his  poems 
caught  their  touching  beauty  from  that  innate  love ; 
and  his  pen  gave  forth  in  the  "New  Pastoral,"  as 
in  many  minor  poems,  the  music  of  a  gentle,  loving 
heart,  attuned  to  the  harmony  of  woods  and  meadow 
brooks.  Laurel  Hill,  that  beautiful  cemetery  of 
Philadelphia,  has,  it  is  true,  received  all  that  was 
mortal  of  the  "Poet  Artist;"  yet  his  gentle  spirit 
will  hover  around  this  "  Authors'  Grove,"  and,  with 
other  immortal  spirits,  witness  they  did  not  toil  in 


314        LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 

vain ;  that  their  names  were  not  written  on  the  sand, 
to  be  washed  away  unrecorded. 
Let  Mr.  Bead  himself  speak : 

"And  though  the  hills  of  death 

May  hide  the  bright  array, 
The  marshaled  brotherhood  of  souls 

Still  keeps  its  upward  way. 
Upward,  forever  upward, 

I  see  their  march  sublime, 
And  hear  the  glorious  music 

Of  the  conquerors  of  time." 

Will  you,  my  dear  sir,  express  my  grateful 
thanks  to  the  scholars  who,  in  the  "Authors' 
Grove,"  will  place  a  memorial  stone  to  Mr.  Eead  ? 
In  after  years  may  their  own  names  in  turn  rank 
with  those  they  so  revere ! 

With  much  respect, 

HARRIET  DENKISON  EEAD. 


FROM.  MRS.  IMOGEN"  WILLIS  EDDY. 

(Daughter  of  N.  P.  Willis.) 

JOHN  B.  PEASLEE: 

Dear  Sir, — I  have  received  your  letter,  and  a 
copy  of  the  Times-Star  containing  the  interesting 
account  of  "  Authors'  Grove,"  and  it  gives  me  much 
pleasure  to  find  my  father's  name  among  those  hon- 
ored by  the  planting  of  memorial  trees. 

The  growth  and  preservation  of  forest  trees  was 
a  subject  of  great  interest  to  my  father,  and  I  have 
often  heard  him  speak  of  the  duty  of  inculcating 
in  young  people  a  love  for  the  beautiful  in  nature. 

He  would,  I  am  sure,  have  been  pleased  to  know 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       315 

that  he  would  one  day  occupy  a  place  in  the  "Au- 
thors' Grove."  In  no  pleasanter  way  could  his 
name  be  remembered  by  the  school  children  of 
Cincinnati. 

Thanking  you  for  your  kindness, 
I  am  very  truly  yours, 

IMOGEN  WILLIS  EDDY. 

FEOM  PBOFESSOR  WILLIAM  A.  MOWEY,  PH.  D. 

PROVIDENCE,  April  5,  1883. 
JOHN  B.  PEASLEE,  PH.  D. : 

My  Dear  Sir, — The  experience  of  the  Cincin- 
nati schools  will  illustrate  the  importance  of  ac- 
quainting the  youthful  mind  with  our  best  authors 
and  their  productions. 

I  believe  it  is  well  agreed,  also,  that  truths  and 
facts  are  more  firmly  impressed  upon  the  mind  by 
object  lessons  than  by  any  other  means. 

Moreover,  the  planting  of  trees  and  the  cultiva- 
tion of  forests  are  but  just  beginning  to  be  appre- 
ciated by  our  people  as  matters  of  great  impor- 
tance. 

I  conceive,  therefore,  that  you  have  instituted 
one  of  the  best  educational  projects  of  the  age  in 
organizing  and  carrying  forward,  in  a  systematic 
manner,  the  planting  of  trees  in  the  public  parks 
by  the  school  children,  attended  by  appropriate  in- 
tellectual exercises,  especially  including  the  recita- 
tion of  selections  from  these  authors'  best  thoughts. 
Attended,  as  these  exercises  will  be,  with  the  parade 
and  ceremony  of  a  celebration,  and  with  the  attrac- 
tion and  pleasures  to  the  young  minds  of  a  holiday, 


316        LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 

the  exercises  and  what  they  symbolize  will  be  deeply 
stamped  upon  the  memory  of  the  school  children, 
and  the  entire  effect  upon  them  must  prove  to  be  of 
the  most  important  and  satisfactory  character.  I 
congratulate  you  and  the  children  of  your  beautiful 
city  on  the  inauguration  of  this  excellent  custom, 
and  can  not  but  believe  it  will  be  widely  followed 
by  the  cities  of  our  country. 

Very  respectfully  yours, 

WILLIAM  A.  MOWRY. 

FROM  GENERAL  SAMUEL  F.  GARY. 

(Cousin  of  Alice  and  Phoebe  Gary.) 

COLLEGE  HILL,  April  20,  1883. 
SUPERINTENDENT  JOHN  B.  PEASLEE.  : 

Sir, — Nothing  would  give  me  greater  pleasure 
than  a  hearty  participation  in  the  exercises  on  the 
27th  inst.,  but  the  probability  is' I  may  not  be  able 
to  attend. 

Our  pioneers  were  interested  only  in  providing 
the  cereals  and  fruit  necessary  to  supply  their  wants 
when  they  leveled  the  forests  which  covered  these 
hills  and  plains  and  valleys.  Their  rude  cabins 
have  given  way  to  palatial  residences,  and  their 
cornfields  to  beautiful  lawns.  The  esthetical  taste 
of  their  successors  would  have  often  exclaimed, 
""Woodman,  spare  that  tree!"  Imparting  to  waste 
places  more  than  their  pristine  beauty,  and  associ- 
ating the  names  of  departed  loved  ones  with  our 
work,  is  a  poetic  and  sublime  conception.  It  sym- 
bolizes our  faith  in  a  resurrection  to  a  higher  and 
better  life,  when  the  hard  struggles  of  this  sin- 
cursed  world  are  passed.  In  placing  the  memorial 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       317 

stones  by  the  trees  planted  in  commemoration  of 
the  "  Gary  Sisters,"  an  incident  in  their  early  life 
suggests  how  they  would  have  entered  into  the  spirit 
of  the  occasion  if  they  were  present  in  the  body. 
When  in  early  youth  they  were  returning  home  from 
our  country  school,  a  farmer  was  "grubbing"  from 
the  fence  row,  and  throwing  into  the  road  some 
small  trees.  The  little  girls  took  one,  and  planted 
it  by  the  roadside  near  the  old  schoolhouse.  That 
is  the  large,  graceful,  and  symmetrical  sycamore 
which  the  admirer  of  the  beautiful  recognizes  as  he 
passes  from  College  Hill  to  the  birthplace  and  girl- 
hood home  of  Alice  and  Phrebe. 

Wishing  all  who  participate  in  the  exercises  a 
pleasant  and  profitable  time,  I  remain, 

Yours,  etc.,  SAMUEL  F.  OAKY. 

FKOM  PEOFESSOB  B.  PICKMAN  MANN. 

(Son  of  Horace  Mann.) 

ENTOMOLOGICAL  DIVISION,  } 

DEP'T.  OF  AGEICULTUEE,  [• 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  March  31,  1883.  ) 

ME.  JOHN  B.  PEASLEE  : 

Dear  Sir, — I  have  received  from  you  a  sketch, 
in  the  Times-Star  of  the  5th  inst.,  of  your  "Au- 
thors' Grove"  in  Eden  Park,  and  a  copy  of  your 
Fifty-third  Annual  Report.  In  the  former  I  was 
interested ;  but  with  the  latter  I  was  highly  pleased. 
The  project  of  connecting  the  planting  of  trees 
with  the  names  of  authors  is  a  beautiful  one,  and 
one  certain  to  exert  a  beneficial  influence  upon  the 
children  who  participate  in  these  exercises.  The 
institution  of  an  "Arbor-day"  is  highly  commend- 


318        LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 

able  from  its  artistic  consequences,  and  can  not  fail 
to  result  in  great  benefit  to  the  climate  and  to  the 
commercial  interests  of  the  country  when  it  becomes 
an  institution  of  general  adoption.  I  was  gratified 
to  see  the  name  of  my  father  in  your  sketch,  and 
in  your  report,  to  which  you  called  my  atten- 
tion. I  turned  over  every  page  of  your  report,  and 
read  the  more  general  portions  with  attention.  I 
was  pleased  especially  with  remarks  upon  moral  in- 
struction, and  am  convinced  that  you  have  taken 
high  and  tenable  ground.  The  consequences  of 
such  instruction  as  you  portray  can  not  fail  to  be 
of  lasting  benefit  to  the  pupils,  esthetically  and 
morally.  I  commend,  also,  your  views  upon  beau- 
tifying schoolrooms;  and,  finally,  I  recognize  the 
excellence  of  your  "Cincinnati  method"  of  pri- 
mary arithmetic. 

Thanking  you  for  the  pleasure  you  have  given 
me,  I  am,  Yours  respectfully, 

B.  PICKMAN  MANN. 

FBOM  MRS.  MARY  H.  KUSSELL. 

(Daughter  of  Mrs.  Lydla  M.  Sigourney.) 

WATERBURY,  CONN.,  March  9,  1883. 
MR.  PEASLEE: 

Dear  8ir, — I  thank  you  for  a  copy  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati Times,  received  a  day  or  two  ago,  containing 
an  account  of  the  work  of  the  public  schools  in 
setting  out  forest  trees  in  "Authors'  Grove."  It  is 
a  beautiful  plan,  worthy  of  the  city  where  it  has 
been  originated  and  carried  out. 

I  desire  to  express  to  you,  and  through  you  to 
the  Twelfth  District  School,  my  appreciation  of  the 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       319 

memorial  to  my  mother,  Mrs.  Sigourney,  and  to  say 
what  a  peculiar  interest  she  felt  in  this  work  of 
planting  trees.  She  used  often  to  speak  with  great 
admiration  of  the  patriotism  of  her  friend,  the 
Hon.  James  Hillhouse,  of  New  Haven,  who  beauti- 
fied that  city  by  planting,  with  his  own  hand,  the 
elms  which  have  since  made  it  famous ;  and  when 
she  was  notified,  many  years  ago,  that  a  young  town 
in  Iowa  had  been  called  Sigourney  in  her  honor,  she 
sent  a  sum  of  money  to  be  expended  in  shade-trees 
to  ornament  its  public  square.  There  seems  a  pe- 
culiar fitness  in  these  living  monuments  to  those 
whose  names  we  would  still  keep  with  us,  now  that 
their  bodily  presence  has  departed ;  and  I  trust  that 
the  trees  may  flourish  and  prosper,  and  keep  green 
many  years  the  memory  of  each  one  for  whom  they 
have  been  planted ! 

Yours  very  truly,        MARY  H.  RUSSELL. 

FEOM  LUCY  LARCOM. 

BEVERLY,  MASS.,  April  17,  1883. 
Dear  Sir, — I  have  received  the  "Report"  from 
you;  also,  the  papers  containing  an  account  of  what 
you  are  doing  at  "Authors'  Grove."  I  thank  you 
for  the  honor  conferred  upon  me,  among  others, 
and  am  glad  that  a  maple  was  chosen  for  me,  as  it 
is  a  tree  to  which  I  am  particularly  attached,  both 
for  its  beauty  and  for  its  Northern  and  New  Eng- 
land associations.  It  is  one  of  my  best  mountain 
friends,  and  yet  has  a  wide  range  of  town  and  coun- 
try development ;  and  it  seems  equally  at  home  East 
and  West.  I  am  especially  pleased  to  be  remem- 


320        LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 

bered  by  your  schools,  as  I  am  almost  a  Western 
woman  myself.  I  spent  six  years  in  Illinois  when  I 
was  young,  three  of  them  at  an  excellent  seminary 
in  that  State,  where  I  gained  the  best  part  of  my 
book-education,  and  something,  I  trust,  of  Western 
breadth,  which  I  hope  never  to  lose. 
With  sympathy  in  your  work, 

I  am  truly  yours, 

LUCY  LARCOM. 

FROM  Miss  GABRIELLE  GREELEY. 

(Daughter  of  Horace  Greeley.) 

Dear  Sir, — Next  to  the  hearts  of  the  laboring 
poor,  I  can  think  of  no  place  in  which  my  father 
would  more  have  loved  to  have  his  name  kept  green 
than  in  the  trees,  which  were  his  recreation  to  take 
care  of.  Yours  truly, 

GABRIELLE  GREELEY. 

FROM  DANIEL  DRAPER. 

(Son  of  Professor  John  William  Draper.) 


HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON",  N.  Y.,  ) 


April  10,  1883. 
JOHN  B.  PEASLEE,  ESQ.  : 

Dear  Sir, — My  father  was  always  a  great  lover 
of  nature  and  her  governing  laws.  He  often  ex- 
perimented on  the  growth  and  peculiarities  of 
plants.  I  have  seen  him  cover  a  crocus  flower  with 
his  hat  for  so  many  minutes ;  then,  taking  it  off, 
watch  how  long  it  would  be  before  it  opened  again. 
The  last  experiments  he  was  making,  just  previous 
to  his  death,  were  on  the  amount  of  oxygen  evolved 
from  red,  green,  and  other  colored  leaves.  You 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       321 

will  find  an  interesting  paper  in  his  * '  Scientific  Me- 
moirs," published  by  Harper  Brothers,  in  1878, 
page  177,  Memoir  XI,  of  the  force  included  in 
plants. 

You  will  please  convey  to  the  members  of  the 
Penmanship  Department,  from  the  Draper  family, 
their  best  wishes  and  hopes  of  success,  not  only  in 
their  own  personal  success,  but  that  the  linden-trees 
planted  by  them  will  thrive,  grow,  and  multiply 
until  the  devastating  floods  cease  to  disturb  their 
noble  Ohio  Eiver.  And  let  each  member  also  take 
unto  himself  the  motto,  often  quoted  by  Professor 
John  W.  Draper,  M.  D.,  LL.  D.,  "Whatsoever  thy 
hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it  with  all  thy  might." 
I  am  yours  respectfully,  etc., 

DANIEL  DRAPER. 

FROM  KATIE  HOLLAND  VON  WAGENER. 

(Daughter  of  Dr.  J.  G.  Holland.) 

MR.  PEASLEE: 

Dear  Sir, — My  sister  and  I  are,  I  imagine,  in- 
debted to  you  for  a  Eeport  of  the  Cincinnati  Board 
of  Education,  which  came  to  us  some  days  ago. 
The  idea  of  an  "Authors'  Grove"  is  an  unique  one, 
and  very  pretty,  and  we  are  all  touched  at  the  ten- 
der remembrance  of  my  dear  father. 

Permit  me  to  thank  you,  or  through  you  to 
thank  the  school  which  so  kindly  remembered  us, 
and  believe  me, 

Very  sincerely  yours, 

KATIE  HOLLAND  VON  WAGENER, 

115  East  Thirty-fourth  Street. 
YORK  CITY,  April  11. 

21 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 


FROM  SUSAN  FENIMORE  COOPER. 

(Daughter  of  James  Fenimore  Cooper.) 

COOPERSTOWN,  April  12,  1883. 

Dear  Sir, — I  have  to  thank  you  for  your  letter 
of  last  month,  which  I  have  read  with  much  inter- 
est. The  subject  of  forestry  is  one  in  which  I  have 
been  very  deeply  interested  for  many  years.  In  a 
volume  on  country  life,  published  long  since,  under 
the  title  of  "Eural  Hours,"  I  already  deplored  the 
extravagant  and  senseless  destruction  of  trees  in 
our  country;  not  only  wild  forests,  but  lesser  woods 
and  groves,  and  single  trees  of  unusual  beauty. 
There  has  been  really  a  recklessness  on  this  subject 
which  may  be  called  barbarous,  and  utterly  un- 
worthy of  the  civilization  on  which  we  pride  our- 
selves. But,  most  happily,  our  people  appear  to  be 
awakening  to  the  vast  importance  of  this  question 
in  different  parts  of  the  country.  Some  twenty 
years  since,  a  Village  Improvement  Society  was  or- 
ganized in  this  neighborhood,  whose  object  was  the 
same  in  spirit  as  the  noble  Arbor  Society  of  Ohio — 
the  planting  of  trees  for  shade  and  ornament  in  the 
streets,  near  the  gateways ;  in  waste  spots,  such  as 
are  found  in  every  neighborhood;  about  springs, 
wells,  and  other  positions,  where  they  would  form 
pleasing  groups,  living  pictures  as  it  were ;  and  the 
preservation  of  trees  of  more  than  common  beauty 
and  interest, — all  these  entered  into  the  work  of  the 
Improvement  Society. 

It  was  very  kind  of  you  to  send  me  a  Eeport  of 
the  Common  Schools.  In  return,  allow  me  to  send 
you  a  copy  of  "Rural  Hours,"  in  which  you  will 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       323 

find  some  pages  on  the  subject  of  forestry.  I  thank 
you  for  including  my  father's  name  in  your  "Au- 
thors' Grove."  He  was  deeply  interested  in  forestry, 
and  set  out  himself,  or  under  his  close  supervision, 
hundreds  of  trees  in  this  neighborhood. 

Wishing  you  success  on  "Arbor-day,"  believe 
me,  dear  sir, 

Yery  sincerely  yours, 

SUSAN-  FENIMORE  COOPER. 
JOHN  B.  PEASLEE, 

Superintendent  of  Public  Schools,  Cincinnati. 

FROM  DR.  EDWARD  H.  PARKER. 

(Author  of  the  lines  placed  at  the  head  of  Garfleld's  casket 
In  the  catafalque  at  Cleveland,  beginning  "  Life's  race 
well  run.") 

POUGHKEEPSIE,  N".  Y.,  ) 

April  17,  1883.        f 
JOHN  B.  PEASLEE,  ESQ., 

Superintendent  of  the  Cincinnati  Schools : 
My  Dear  Sir, — Accept,  I  beg,  my  somewhat 
tardy  acknowledgment  of  your  favors,  and  my 
thanks  for  the  interesting  account  of  the  "  Authors' 
Grove  "  and  its  ceremonies.  Either  or  both  is  en- 
titled to  the  thanks  of  the  good  people  of  Cincinnati . 
Trees,  in  their  variety,  are  always  a  delightful  study 
to  me,  and  few,  I  think,  really  know  how  much  of 
beauty  and  individuality  there  is  in  them.  Such  a 
grove,  near  a  large  city,  will  give  valuable  instruc- 
tion to  the  young  people,  while  the  designation  of 
the  various  groups,  as  commemorative  of  the  dis- 
tinguished men  whose  name  each  bears,  will  induce 
further  inquiry  as  to  who  and  what  they  are  or  were. 
They  will  find  that  there  is  something  very  inter- 


324        LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 

esting,  almost  very  solemn,  to  them  when,  in  after 
years,  they  stand  by  those  saplings  which  they  have 
planted,  and  find  them  towering  high  above  their 
heads  and  boasting  the  pomp  of  their  lineage  of 
ages.  Here,  at  best,  are  "  old  families,"  a  veritable 
aristocracy. 
Believe  me, 

Yours  very  respectfully, 

EDWARD  H.  PARKER. 

FROM  EDWIK  PERCY  WHIFFLE. 

(The  Essayist.) 

BOSTON,  March  31,  1883. 

My  Dear  Sir, — I  am  your  debtor  for  the  volume 
on  the  "Common  Schools  of  Cincinnati."  I  have 
had  only  time  to  glance  through  the  pages,  which 
contain  so  much  valuable  information.  I  have  al- 
ways felt  a  profound  respect  for  the  noble  army  of 
teachers  constantly  engaged  in  an  endless  war 
against  ignorance,  and  subjected,  day  after  day,  to 
trials  which  are  far  greater  than  those  which  test 
the  intelligence  and  moral  power  of  military  officers 
who  command  in  camps.  The  hardest  thing  which 
an  educator  has  to  conquer  is  the  indifference  or 
resistance  of  those  he  is  called  upon  to  educate. 
When  I  look  back  on  my  school  life,  I  thank  God 
that  I  never  resisted  the  attempt  of  male  or  female 
instructor  to  convey  knowledge  into  my  young 
brain.  Fifty  years  ago  a  school  was  more  or  less  a 
mob,  where  the  teacher  was  considered  an  enemy 
rather  than  as  a  benefactor.  To  oppose  her  or  him 
was  a  sign  of  spirit.  .  .  .  Why  should  we  de- 
clare war  on  those  who  are  appointed  to  enlighten 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       325 

our  ignorance  ?  For  my  own  part,  I  can  say  that  I 
was  always  grateful  to  my  instructors,  and  since  the 
time  I  was  released  from  school,  I  have  always  re- 
membered my  teachers.  As  long  as  they  lived,  I 
never  met  them  without  a  throb  of  gratitude ;  and 
I  need  not  add  that,  after  their  death,  the  grateful 
feeling  still  subsists  in  my  memory  of  their — per- 
haps— ineffectual  endeavors  to  make  me  a  reason- 
able and  moral  being.  At  least,  it  is  a  pleasure  to 
think  that  I  never  resisted  their  efforts  to  make  me 
a  participant  in  the  ideas  and  emotions  which 
thronged  in  their  own  minds  and  hearts.  God  bless 
the  honest  teacher !  is  my  constant  prayer. 

I  feel  especially  honored  in  having  the  trees 
named  after  me  in  such  close  proximity  with  those 
named  after  Agassiz.  I  enjoyed  his  genial  friend- 
ship for  thirty  years  or  more.  I  considered  that  he 
was  the  greatest  naturalist  since  Aristotle,  and  I 
also  perceived  that  a  child's  heart  was  at  the  base 
of  his  vast  knowledge  and  comprehensive  brain, 
and  that  his  feelings  were  as  fresh  at  the  age  of 
sixty  as  at  the  age  of  six.  You  must  remember  the 
words  in  which  this  great  discoverer  began  his  will  : 
"I,  Louis  Agassiz,  teacher."  It  seems  to  me  that 
every  teacher,  however  humble  be  his  or  her  life, 
must  get  inspiration  from  this  modest  and  final 
statement  of  what  the  great  naturalist  deemed  his 
most  important  service  in  life. 

In  great  haste,         Very  sincerely  yours, 

E.  P.  WHIPPLB. 

I  cordially  agree  with  all  your  suggestions  con- 
cerning tree-planting,  and  trust  that  they  will  be 
successfully  carried  out. 


326        LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 


FKOM  Hew.  JOHN  J.  PIATT. 

(Consul  of  the  United  States  at  Cork.) 

QUEENSTOWN,  April  7,  1883. 

Dear  Mr.  Peaslee, — Your  kind  favor  of  March 
5th,  with  the  copy  of  the  Times-Star  accompanying 
it,  reached  me  some  days  ago,  and  I  wish  to  express, 
for  Mrs.  Piatt  as  well  as  myself,  our  warm  thanks 
for  the  generous  way  in  which  you  are  emphasizing 
the  honor  you  were  the  means  of  conferring  on  us 
last  April.  We  have  good  reason  to  feel  proud  of 
that  little  group  of  trees  in  Eden  Park,  a  park 
which  is  destined  to  be,  erelong,  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  in  the  world — where  "that  silent  people," 
as  an  English  poet  calls  a  grove  of  forest  trees  (but 
they  are  by  no  means  silent  when  the  winds,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  birds,  move  them  to  music  and  song) 
— when  the  beautiful  memorial  trees,  which  you  have 
so  largely  assisted  in  planting,  shall  have  filled  those 
lovely  hilltops  and  deep  glens  with  abundant  shade. 
We  have  reason  to  feel  proud,  I  repeat,  and  we  do 
feel  proud,  to  know  that  we  shall  be  remembered 
pleasantly  while  the  maples  so  kindly  dedicated  to 
us  renew  their  vernal  blood.  As  for  the  stones,  I 
assure  you  that  we  are  touched  by  the  fortunate  and 
rare  appreciation  at  home  of  which  they  will  testify. 

What  a  happy  thought  it  was  to  set  the  school 
children  throughout  Ohio  to  planting  trees,  as  I  see 
by  the  circular  sent  me  with  your  note  you  have 
been  doing !  The  trees  will,  I  dare  say,  rise  up  and 
call  you  blessed!  I  hope  that  when  I  shall  return 
to  Ohio  (I  write  this  looking  out  on  the  pleasant 
waters  of  the  Kiver  Lee ;  but  they  are  not  so  pleas- 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       327 

ant  to  our  sight  as  those  bright  waters  in  front  of 
our  door  at  North  Bend),  I  shall  find  myself  mov- 
ing homeward  through  what  my  'good  friend,  Mr. 
W.  D.  Gallagher,  forty  or  fifty  years  ago,  called 
"My  own  green  forest  land,"  renewed  in  conse- 
quence of  the  happy  task-work  of  Ohio  school 
children. 

"With  our  kind  regards, 

Sincerely  yours, 

JOHN  j.  PlATT. 

FROM  G.  &  C.  MEKEIAM  &  Co. 

(Publishers  of  "Webster's  Dictionary.) 

SPRINGFIELD,  MASS,  March  8, 1883. 

SUPERINTENDENT  JOHN  B.  PEASLEE, 

and   Members  of   the  Fourth   Intermediate 
School,  Cincinnati: 

Gentlemen  and  Ladies, — We  have  read  with  great 
interest  an  account  of  the  action  of  Superintendent 
Peaslee  and  the  members  of  the  public  schools  of 
Cincinnati  in  planting  groups  of  trees  in  "Authors' 
Grove"  on  Arbor-day  in  memory  of  prominent 
American  writers,  and  of  your  proposed  action  in 
marking  each  of  the  various  groups  of  trees  with 
appropriate  stones  to  the  memory  of  the  authors  for 
whom  the  trees  were  planted. 

We  are  especially  interested  in  your  planting  a 
group  and  marking  it  with  a  stone  in  memory  of 
Noah  Webster,  and  for  several  reasons.  We  think 
Noah  Webster,  in  his  lifetime,  proposed  and  advo- 
cated the  planting  of  memorial  trees,  somewhat  on 
the  plan  which  now,  so  many  years  after  his  death, 


328        LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 

you  are  assisting  to  carry  out;  and  this  gives  to  us, 
as  it  perhaps  will  to  you,  an  additional  interest  in 
the  grove  you  have  planted  and  the  stone  you  will 
place  in  memory  of  him. 

Dr.  Webster,  in  his  lifetime,  built  up  a  vast 
monument  to  his  own  memory  in  the  American  Un- 
abridged Dictionary,  to  the  preparation  of  which 
he  devoted  much  of  his  life ;  and  perhaps  of  all  the 
authors  whom  your  schools  are  thus  deservedly  hon- 
oring, no  one  built  up  for  himself  a  more  massive 
and  deserving  and  enduring  monument  than  this 
one  that  was  reared  by  Dr.  Webster,  and  your  grove 
planted  and  stone  to  be  placed  in  memory  of  him 
have  a  great  and  personal  interest  to  us,  still  more 
than  they  otherwise  would  have,  because  we  have 
for  many  years  devoted  ourselves  largely  to  the  per- 
fecting and  perpetuating  the  monument  Dr.  Web- 
ster thus  reared  to  his  own  memory — a  monument 
that  we  trust  will  endure  when  the  trees  you  have 
planted  in  honor  of  him  shall  have  grown  to  old 
age  and  have  passed  away. 

Allow  us  to  suggest  to  you,  pupils,  a  practical 
lesson  from  Dr.  Webster's  experience.  The  monu- 
ment he  built  for  himself  grew  from  the  humble 
spelling-book  to  the  great  Unabridged  Dictionary. 
This  growth  was  made  by  earnest,  patient,  persist- 
ent labor  on  his  part,  the  labor  of  many,  many  years. 
So,  if  you  shall  be  remembered,  build  your  life  and 
character  on  the  right  foundation ;  build  with  the 
best  material  you  can  command ;  build  with  earnest, 
patient,  persistent  labor;  and,  though  what  you 
build  while  at  school  may  seem  to  you,  and  may  be, 
but  the  spelling-book,  the  A,  B,  C,  of  building, 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       329 

you  will  be  erecting  a  monument  to  your  memory 
that  will  stand  long  after  you  shall  have  passed 
away.  Very  sincerely  yours, 

G.  &  C.  MERRIAM  &  Co., 
Publishers  of  Webster's  Unabridged  Dictionary. 


FROM  OLIVER  WENDELL  HOLMES. 

BOSTON,  April  1,  1883. 

Dear  Mr.  Peaslee, — I  have  to  thank  you  again 
for  kindly  remembering  me  in  sending  me  the  Fifty- 
third  Annual  Eeport  of  the  Schools  of  Cincinnati. 
I  can  not  help  feeling  a  constant  interest  in  educa- 
tional institutions  to  which  the  writers  of  America 
are  so  singularly  indebted.  Some  of  them,  per- 
haps, a  hundred  years  from  now,  will  be  saved  from 
oblivion  by  the  sapling  oak  or  elm  which  has  grown 
into  a  forest,  waving  on  a  single  stem,  and  become 
their  green  monument. 

I  hope  the  tree  among  them  all  which  grows  the 
tallest  and  spreads  the  widest  will  always  bear  the 
name,  "John  B.  Peaslee's  Tree." 

Always  truly  yours,  0.  W.  HOLMES. 

FROM  JAMES  GRANT  WILSON. 

ROSEFIELD,  RlDGWOOD,  NEW  JERSEY,  { 
17  June,  1884.        j 

Dear  Sir, — Before  leaving  New  York  for  my 
country  place,  I  received  an  interesting  brochure  on 
"Trees  and  Tree-planting,"  which  I  have  perused 
with  pleasure,  and  for  which  I  presume  I  am  in- 
debted to  you.  Pray  accept  my  thanks. 


330       LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 

When  in  Biviera  last  year,  some  one  sent  me  a 
paper  containing  an  account  of  the  Authors'  Anni- 
versary in  Ohio.  Among  the  American  writers 
honored  with  trees  and  memorial  stones,  I  observed 
the  names  of  Joseph  Eodman  Drake  and  James  G. 
Percival  were  associated  together  in  No.  20,  Second 
District  School,  and  Fitz-Greene  Halleck  in  No.  30, 
Twenty-eighth  District.  Drake  and  Percival,  al- 
though contemporary  poets,  were,  I  believe,  un- 
known to  each  other,  while  the  former  and  Halleck 
were  not  only  literary  partners  in  the  authorship  of 
"The  Croakers"  and  the  "Ode  to  the  American 
Flag,"  but  were  warmly  attached  friends,  and  on 
Drake's  early  death,  the  survivor  composed  the  well- 
known  lines,  familiar  to  all,  expressing  so  tenderly 
the  loss  of  his  gifted  comrade. 

As  Halleck's  biographer,  may  I  suggest,  if  not 
too  late,  that  the  companionship,  which  was  severed 
only  in  death,  should  be  continued  in  the  charming 
tribute  rendered  to  the  memory  of  the  two  poets  in 
Eden  Park? 

I  am,  very  truly,  yours, 

JAS.  GRANT  WILSON. 

JOHN  B.  PEASLEE,  ESQ. 


FKOM  J.  W.  MILLEB. 

CINCINNATI,  0.,  April  25,  1882. 
ME.  JOHN  B.  PEASLEE  : 

Dear  Sir, — In  response  to  your  request,  I  send 
you  a  poem  on  trees.  I  am  glad  to  have  an  oppor- 
tunity to  express  a  warm  interest  in  a  subject  that 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       331 

is  just  beginning  to  attract  an  attention  that  will 
be  repaid  a  thousand-fold  in  utility  and  beauty. 
Very  truly  yours,  J.  W.  MILLER. 

SONG  TO  THE  TREES. 

I. 

Hail  to  the  trees ! 

Patient  and  generous,  mothers  of  mankind, 
Arching  the  hills,  the  minstrels  of  the  wind ; 
Spring's  glorious  flowers,  and  summer's  balmy  tents; 
A  sharer  in  man's  free  and  happier  sense. 
From  early  blossom  till  the  north  wind  calls 
Its  drowsy  sprites  from  beech-hid  waterfalls, 
The  trees  bless  all,  and  then,  brown-mantled,  stand 
The  sturdy  prophets  of  a  golden  land. 

II. 

Eden  was  clothed  in  trees.    Their  glossy  leaves 

Gave  raiment,  food,  and  shelter ;  'neath  their  eaves, 

Dripping  with  ruby  dew,  the  flowerets  rose 

To  follow  man  from  Eden  to  his  woes. 

The  silver  rill  crept  fragant  thickets  through ; 

The  air  was  rich  with  life ;  a  violet  hue, 

Tangling  with  sunshine,  lit  the  waving  scene ; 

'Twas  heaven,  tree-born,  tree-lulled,  en  wreathed  in  green. 

in. 

Where  trees  are  not,  behold !  the  deserts  swoon 
Beneath  the  brazen  sun  and  mocking  moon ; 
Where  trees  are  not,  the  tawny  torrent  leaps, 
A  brawling  savage  from  the  crumbling  steeps, 
Where  once  the  ferns  their  gentle  branches  waved, 
And  tender  lilies  in  the  crystal  laved, — 
A  brawling  savage,  plundering  in  a  night 
The  fields  it  once  strayed  through,  a  streamlet  bright. 


332        LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 


IV. 

What  gardeners  like  the  trees !    Their  loving  care 
The  daintiest  blooms  can  deftly  plant  and  rear. 
How  smilingly,  with  outstretched  boughs,  they  stand, 
To  shade  the  flowers  too  fragile  for  man's  hand ! 
With  scented  leaves,  crisp,  ripened — nay,  not  dead — 
They  tuck  the  wild  flowers  in  their  moss-rimmed  bed. 
The  forest  nook  outvies  the  touch  of  art ; 
The  heart  of  man  loves  not  like  the  oak's  heart. 

V. 

O  whispering  trees!  companions,  sages,  friends: 
No  change  in  you,  whatever  friendship  ends; 
No  deed  of  yours  the  Eden  link  e'er  broke ; 
Bared  is  your  head  to  ward  the  lightning's  stroke. 
You  fed  the  infant  man,  and  blessed  his  cot, 
Hewed  from  your  grain ;  without  you,  he  were  not. 
The  Hand  that  planned  you,  planned  the  future,  too. 
Shall  we  distrust  it,  knowing  such  as  you? 

VI. 

And  when  comes  Eden  back?    The  trees  are  here, 

In  all  their  olden  beauty  and  glad  cheer. 

Eden  but  waits  the  lifting  of  the  night 

For  man  to  know  the  true  and  will  the  right. 

Whatever  creed  may  find  in  hate  a  birth, 

One  of  the  heavens  is  this  teeming  earth. 

"  Of  all  its  gifts,  but  innocence  restore, 

And  Eden,"  sigh  the  trees,  "  is  at  your  door." 

FROM  HON.  JOHN  W.  ANDREWS. 

COLUMBUS,  0.,  March  19,  1885. 
JOHN  B.  PEASLEE,  ESQ.  : 

My  Dear  Sir, — Accept  my  thanks  for  the  pam- 
phlet on  "Trees  and  Tree-planting,"  etc.,  which 
you  were  so  kind  as  to  send  me,  and  which  I  have 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       333 

found  full  of  valuable  suggestions  and  information. 
The  subject  is  one  of  far  more  importance  than  I 
had  supposed ;  and  the  solution  of  the  problem,  by 
making  forestry  and  the  knowledge  and  love  of -trees 
a  part  of  our  common-school  education,  seems  to 
me  to  promise  better  results  than  could  be  secured 
in  any  other  way.  I  wish  your  pamphlet  could  be 
placed  in  the  hands  of  every  intelligent  man  and 
woman  in  the  United  States.  It  must  do  good 
wherever  it  is  read. 

Most  truly  yours,        JOHN  W.  ANDREWS. 

FEOM  ARTHUR  OILMAN. 

CAMBRIDGE,  MASS.,  Jan.  25,  1885. 

Dear  Sir, — I  thank  you  for  the  copy  of  your 
Annual  Keport,  which  seems  to  show  that  you  are 
doing  a  work  that  I  have  not  noticed  elsewhere.  I 
refer  to  the  spirit  which  appears  to  fill  your  entire 
effort ;  for  I  think  I  can  not  be  mistaken  in  believ- 
ing that  you  aim  to  interest  your  pupils  in  their 
studies,  and  to  attach  them  to  their  school.  If  you 
succeed  in  this  effort,  as  I  judge  that  you  do,  your 
public  schools  will  grow  stronger  as  each  generation 
passes,  and  their  influence  for  good  will  greatly 
increase. 

I  beg  you  to  thank  the  person  to  whom  I  am  in- 
debted for  the  honor  of  having  a  tree  planted  in 
Authors'  Grove.  I  am  pleased  to  observe  that, 
through  my  little  book,  I  am  teaching  something  of 
the  history  of  our  literature  to  the  young  people  of 
Cincinnati.  I  am  somewhat  of  an  Ohioan,  since 
my  great-grandfather  went  there  as  one  of  the  Ohio 


334        LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 

Company  in.  1788,  and  my  grandfather  took  thither 
from  Plymouth,  at  a  late  date,  my  grandmother, 
then  a  very  young  maiden.  Then,  too,  my  father 
was  born  in  Ohio,  in  1808.  I  have  myself  returned 
to  the  spot  where  my  emigrant  ancestor  set  foot  on 
American  soil  in  1638;  but  I  am  still  interested  in 
the  noble  State  whose  present  greatness  was  proph- 
esied, in  his  letters,  by  my  great-grandfather.  He 
knew  it  well;  for  he  was  appointed  one  of  the 
judges  of  the  Northwestern  Territory  by  Washing- 
ton, and  rode  on  his  circuit  over  it. 
Excuse  my  long  letter. 

Yours  truly,  ARTHUR  GILMAN. 

PROM  EOSSITER  JOHNSON. 

(Brother  of  Professor  A.  B.  Johnson, 

Avondale,  Cincinnati.) 

D.  APPLETON  &  Co.,  PUBLISHERS,  \ 

1,  3,  AND  5  BOND  ST.,  NEW  YORK,  >• 

Jan.  26,  1885.        ) 

JOHN  B.  PEASLEE,  ESQ., 

Superintendent  of  Schools,  Cincinnati,  0. : 
Dear  Sir, — Accept  my  thanks  for  your  kindness 
in  sending  me  a  copy  of  your  Eeport,  wherein  I 
learn  that  my  humble  work  in  the  way  of  literature 
for  the  boys  of  America  was  remembered  and  hon- 
ored at  the  tree-planting  last  spring.  I  can  not  be 
indifferent  to  such  kindly  recognition  of  literary 
services  that  are  well  intended,  however  poorly  per- 
formed. I  only  wish  they  were  better,  and  that 
every  boy  who  reads  them  could  know  how  perfect 
are  my  sympathies  with  the  impulses,  aspirations, 
and  struggles  of  the  typical  American  boy.  I  have 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS        335 

become  very  much  interested  in  the  account  of  tree- 
planting — and  a  suggestion,  though  it  is  quite 
probable  that  you  have  anticipated  it.  The  devel- 
opment of  American  inventive  genius  has  surpassed 
that  of  American  literature,  and  seems  to  me  it 
would  be  a  graceful  thing  to  plant  trees,  in  such  a 
park  as  yours,  in  honor  of  our  inventors ;  not  qnly 
the  great  ones,  like  Fulton,  Morse,  and  Edison,  but 
many  less  noted  ones  in  that  army  enrolled  at  the 
Patent  Office,  whose  ingenious  devices  have  placed 
the  United  States  ahead  of  all  other  nations  in  the 
production  of  labor-saving  and  comfort-multiplying 
devices.  Very  truly  yours, 

KOSSITEB  JOHNSON. 


FKOM  MBS.  C.  EMMA  CHENEY. 

A  . 
Jan.  23,  1885. 


1818  INDIANA  AVE.,  CHICAGO,  ) 


ME.  JOHN  B.  PEASLEE, 

Superintendent  of  Public  Schools,  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio: 

My  Dear  Sir, — Eeceive  my  thanks  for  the  pretty 
compliment  which  the  schools  of  your  city  kindly 
pay  the  "  History  of  the  Civil  War  for  Young 
Folks,"  by  planting  a  tree  in  honor  of  its  author. 

May  no  mildew  blight  it,  no  worm  destroy  it ! 
And  when,  some  day,  my  good  fortune  leads  me 
Cincinnati-ward,  it  will  give  me  real  pleasure  to 
seek  out  the  spot  in  Eden  Park  where  my  namesake 
stands.  Yours  sincerely, 

MBS.  C.  EMMA  CHENEY. 


336        LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS 


FROM  HORACE  E.  SCUDDER. 

CAMBRIDGE,  MASS.,  3  February,  1885. 
JOHN  B.  PEASLEE, 

Superintendent  of  Schools: 
Dear  Sir, — Somebody  has  had  the  kindness  to 
send  me  a  copy  of  your  Annual  Eeport,  in  which  I 
have  read  of  your  admirable  labor  in  connecting 
books,  in  children's  minds,  with  growing  trees.  To 
do  either  thing — to  cultivate  a  love  of  literature,  or 
to  interest  children  in  tree-planting — would  be 
worthy  of  praise ;  but  to  connect  the  tree  is  a  most 
happy  stroke.  I  congratulate  you  sincerely  upon 
the  remarkable  result  of  your  thought.  You  were 
good  enough  to  include  my  name  among  those  which 
the  children  were  to  become  familiar  with.  I  am 
sincerely  pleased  to  think  that  some  one  may  some- 
time find  a  shady  place  under  the  branches  of  my 
tree.  Let  me  hope  that  they  may  find  some  line  in 
my  books  who  find  shade  by  my  tree. 

Very  truly  yours,        HORACE  E.  SCUDDER. 

FROM  HORATIO  0.  LADD. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  Feb.  26, 1885. 
HON.  JOHN  B.  PEASLEE, 

Superintendent  Schools : 

My  Dear  Sir, — I  received,  a  short  time  ago,  the 
Annual  Report  of  the  Common  Schools  of  Cincin- 
nati, for  which  I  desire  to  thank  you.  It  contains 
very  much  valuable  information  for  any  educator, 
and  surprises  one  with  the  magnitude  of  the  educa- 
tional work  in  a  great  city  like  yours. 


LETTERS  FROM  AMERICAN  AUTHORS       33? 

I  also  gratefully  acknowledge  the  honor  con- 
ferred upon  me  by  the  youth  in  their  celebration  of 
Arbor-day.  I  hope  I  may  yet  lead  their  awakened 
interest  to  things  strange  indeed  in  that  land  which 
was  old  in  a  forgotten  history,  when  Europeans 
traversed  those  wonderful  plateaus  of  the  South- 
west three-fourths  of  a  century  before  the  Pilgrims. 

With  great  respect, 

Sincerely  yours,        HOKATIO  0.  LADD. 
22 


Occasional    Verses 

880 


THE  SCHOOL  FLAGW 

"WE  should  endeavor  to  inspire  the  youth  of 
our  country  with  patriotism — with  a  fervent  and 
abiding  love  of  the  free  institutions  of  America, 
and  of  the  flag  of  the  grandest  Nation  that  ever 
rose  to  animate  the  hopes  of  civilized  man. 

From  every  schoolhouse  in  the  land, 

O  let  the  flag  of  Union  wave, 
And  float  aloft  on  every  breeze, 

Above  the  heads  of  children  brave ! 
From  Northern  bound  to  Southern  gulf, 

From  Eastern  strand  to  "Western  shore, 
Unite  around  that  dear  old  flag 

The  hearts  of  children  evermore. 

Inspire  Columbia's  gallant  youth 

"With  fervent  love  of  country  grand, 

That  when  they  reach  man's  proud  estate, 
They  '11  nobly  by  our  Nation  stand, 
341 


342  OCCASIONAL    VERSES 

And  guard  her  safe  from  every  foe 
Of  equal  rights  and  freedom's  cause; 

And  keep  for  aye,  inviolate, 
Her  Constitution  and  her  laws. 

CHORUS. 

Unfurl  on  high  that  banner  bright, 

Fond  emblem  of  our  country's  glory, 
And  teach  the  children  of  our  land 

Its  grand  and  wondrous  story : 
Of  how,  in  early  times,  it  waved 

High  o'er  the  Continentals  brave, 
Who  fought  and  made  this  country  free — 

The  one  true  home  of  liberty. 


THE  HEROES  WHO  REST* 

AN  ODE  FOR  DECORATION-DAY 
TUNE — "  Portuguese  Hymn. " 

THE  heroes  who  rest  in  their  valiancy  here 
Shall  e'er  be  enshrined  in  our  memories  dear ; 
They  volunteered  all  for  our  country's  true  cause, 
And  fell  on  the  field  while  defending  her  laws. 

Their  names  are  enrolled  in  the  lists  of  the  brave, 
Who  fought  for  the  Union,  our  Nation  to  save ; 
The  cause  that  they  fought  for,  the  rights  they 

maintained, 
Shall  aye  through  the  ages  be  proudly  proclaimed. 

Their  valor  shall  be,  to  the  youth  of  our  land, 
Incentive  for  freedom  and  Union  to  stand. 
In  honor  of  them,  as  the  years  roll  around, 
We  '11  garland  with  flowers  each  hallowed  mound. 

Thus  honoring  them,  we  anew  consecrate 
Our  lives  and  our  fortunes  to  Nation  and  State, 
And  show  ourselves  worthy  to  ever  be  free — 
The  sons  and  the  daughters  of  sweet  Liberty. 
843 


ADVICE  TO  A  YOUNG  FRIEND 

ON  THE  TWENTY-FIRST  ANNIVERSARY  OF  HIS  BIRTH 

THROUGH  youthhood  years  you  longed  to  see 

This  manhood  day  of  life : 
O  that  the  future  e'er  could  be 

Free  as  the  past  from  strife! 

"With  manhood,  cares  and  trials  come, 

And  griefs  accumulate ; 
For  this  has  been  since  birth  of  man 

The  universal  fate. 

But  when  to  you  misfortunes  come, 

Bear  them  with  royal  will ; 
Yield  not  howe'er  severe  they  be, 

Assert  your  manhood  still ! 

The  pious  faith  of  fellow-man 

Ne'er  ridicule,  dear  friend ; 
For  noble  life  and  happiness 

May  on  that  faith  depend. 

We  walk  in  darkness  here  below ; 

Then  scoff  not  nor  condemn 
Man's  trust  in  God  and  future  life 

That  will  that  darkness  stem. 
344 


OCCASIONAL    VERSES  345 

Tour  principles  to  policy 

Ne'er  sacrifice,  dear  friend ; 
If  thus  you  do,  you  will  but  rue 

Your  action  in  the  end. 

For  lose  you  will  that  self-respect, 

That  purity  of  heart, 
With  which  a  man  of  sterling  worth 

Can  ne'er  afford  to  part. 

Besides,  dear  Fred,  you  '11  sacrifice 

Opinions  good  of  friends ; 
For  character  once  lost  and  gone 

One  ne'er  can  make  amends. 

No  motto  is  more  clearly  true- 
Go,  carry  it  about — 

Than  word  in  sacred  Scripture  found, 
Man's  sins  will  find  him  out. 

Be  true,  be  honest,  and  be  just, 

Sincere,  until  the  end, 
Then  surely  you  will  nothing  do 

Your  friends  can  not  defend. 

Then  can  you  view  a  life  well-spent, 

A  life  both  pure  and  true, 
The  best  of  earth's  inheritance 

For  those  who  follow  you. 


346  OCCASIONAL    VERSES 

May  full  returns  of  natal  day 
Be  yours  on  earth  below, 

And  faithful  friends  and  relatives 
On  you  their  love  bestow ! 

And  may  you  then  lie  down  at  last, 
When  scenes  of  time  are  o'er, 

In  happy  and  consoling  trust 
In  life  for  evermore! 


IN  MEMORIAM 

TO  I,OU  W. 


MY  dearest  one,  you  left  me  here, 

One  weary  year  ago  ; 
The  tears  of  love  that  then  broke  forth 

Have  never  ceased  to  flow. 

Yes,  dearest  one,  you  left  me  here  — 

Sad,  weary,  and  alone; 
No  honors  that  the  world  can  give 

Can  for  thy  loss  atone. 

My  depths  of  grief  no  one  can  know 

But  Him  who  dwells  above, 
"Who  holds  and  keeps  and  blesses  you 

In  his  eternal  love. 

To-day  I  come,  with  saddened  heart, 

But  to  commune  with  thee  ; 
To  strew  sweet  flowers  o'er  thy  grave, 

And  thee  in  spirit  see. 

O,  couldst  thou  call,  I  know  thou  wouldst, 

Me  to  the  Heavenly  Throne  ; 
I  'd  gladly  leave  these  scenes  of  earth 

To  be  with  thee  at  Home. 
347 


'NEATH  THE  MAPLE-TREE 

BY  MRS.  MART  PKASLEE  GARDNER  ** 

THERE  were  four  little  boys  'neath  the  maple-tree, 
Just  as  merry  as  boys  can  be : 
They  were  John  and  Joe  and  "Will  and  Dan — 
Whistling  and  shouting  as  only  boys  can ; 
Down  in  the  meadow,  over  the  hill ; 
Now  in  the  brook  that  runs  by  the  mill ; 
Watching  the  nest  that  the  mother-bird  leaves ; 
Out  on  the  barn,  hanging  over  the  eaves ; 
Frightening  the  squirrels,  chasing  the  bee ; 
Playing  jacks  'neath  the  shade  of  the  maple-tree. 

There  were  four  little  boys  by  a  mother's  knee, 
Just  as  tired  as  boys  can  be : 
With  half -spoken  words  their  prayers  are  said ; 
With  a  single  bound  they  are  snug  in  bed. 
Four  curly  heads  on  pillows  of  white ; 
Four  childish  voices,  shouting,    "Mother,  good- 
night!" 

The  angel  of  sleep  hushes  all  of  the  noise ; 
The  mother  murmurs,  " God,  keep  my  boys!" 
An  echo  low,  of  "So  may  it  be !" 

Comes  back  through  the  leaves  of  the  maple-tree. 
348 


OCCASIONAL    VERSES  349 

There  are  four  empty  seats  'neath  the  maple-tree, 
As  worn  and  battered  as  they  can  be. 
With  cold,  gray  moss,  Time  has  mottled  them  o'er ; 
But  the  four  little  boys — we  see  them  no  more. 
Gone !  but  the  world  claims  four  earnest  men. 
But,  amid  life's  stern  duties,  the  tune  will  come 

when 
They  will  care  not  for  riches,  for  fame,  or  for 

power — 

Only  their  childish  faith,  just  for  an  hour, 
When  they  were  as  happy  as  boys  could  be, 
Under  the  shade  of  the  maple-tree. 


MEMORIES  OF  BOYHOOD 

BY  EDWARD  S.   PEASLEK  * 

WHEN   ruthless   duty  presses   hard,    and   life   is 

fraught  with  ills, 
I  haste  me  to  my  boyhood  home  among  the  Essex 

hills, 
I  hear  again  the  song  of  birds  in  old  ancestral 

trees, 
And  mellow  low  of    distant  kine  borne  on  the 

balmy  breeze. 


The  hills  look  down  with  welcome  gaze,  the  church, 
too,  at  their  base, 

Whose  heaven  stretched  arm  and  face  serene,  were 
silent  means  of  grace ; 

The  orchard  blossoms  scent  the  air,  old  scenes  de- 
light the  eye, 

And  over  all  in  tender  love  low  stoops  the  sum- 
mer sky. 

350 


OCCASIONAL    VERSES  351 

The  brook  that  bathes  my  father's  farm,  the  mill- 
dam's  distant  roar, 

The  lake  and  its  alluring  boats,  the  miller's  busy 
door, 

The  river's  marge  I  helped  to  mow,  the  hay-cart's 
spreading  frame, 

The  sultry  hay-mow's  dizzy  loft  that  types  the 
heights  of  fame, — 

How  rapid  memory  calls  them  back !     My  heart  is 

pressed  with  joy, 
For  depths  of  rapture  now  I  feel,  I  felt  not  when 

a  boy, 
And  memory  keeps  the  twin  graves  fresh,  though 

twenty  years  have  flown, 
And  culls  with  tender  touch  the  pinks  the  hand 

of  Jove  has  sown. 


O  brook  that  bounds  my  father's  farm,  though 
years  and  miles  from  thee, 

More  sweet  than  when  a  romping  boy,  thy  song 
still  comes  to  me ! 

O  bridge  that  spans  the  sylvan  stream,  my  moth- 
er's love  and  mine, 

O'er  thee  on  fancy's  foot  I  pass  the  stream  of 
"AuldLang  Syne!" 


352  OCCASIONAL    VERSES 

O  rustic  road  and  shady  path  where  oft  I  loved  to 
stray, 

More  plain  to  me  thy  windings  are  than  those  I 
tread  to-day ! 

For  then  I  lived  with  thee  alone ;  my  brothers  were 
the  trees, 

The  brooks  and  birds  and  grassy  slopes,  the  sun- 
light and  the  breeze. 

Though  other  hands  now  till  the  soil,  the  same  dear 
forms  I  see — 

Parental  voices  greet  my  ear  and  old  time  child- 
ish glee ; 

Still  follow  the  meandering  path  the  cows  I  called 
my  own, 

The  petted  kitten  naps  and  wakes  upon  the  old 
hearthstone. 


Still  lives  the  horse  that  patient  drudged  the  long- 
est summer-day, 

Yet  showed  the  pride  of  gentle  blood  upon  the 
broad  highway; 

And  oft  I  hear  the  yeomen  round  in  careless  pos- 
ture ranged, 

Lament  the  sturdy  days  of  old  for  later  times  ex- 
changed. 


OCCASIONAL    VERSES  353 

Deprive  me,  Fortune,  if  thou  wilt,  of  every  other 

far, 

But  ofttimes  let  me  tread  the  paths  that  knew  me 

when  a  boy ; 
Let  memory  give  the  burdened  heart  repose  from 

present  care, 
And  seek  the  sunny  land  of  youth,  its  meadows 

fresh  and  fair. 
23 


ODE  TO  DANIEL  WEBSTER 

BY  REV.  WILLIAM  CAREY  SHEPPARD  * 

O  FAIR  New  Hampshire's  noblest  son, 
The  mighty,  glorious,  and  great, 
Most  cherished  of  thy  native  State, 

The  immortal  and  the  godlike  one ! 

To  thee  we  rear  the  modest  token 
Of  love  and  gratitude  and  praise, 
And  offer  speech  and  song  and  lays ; 

But  speak  and  sing  in  accents  broken. 

We  praise  thee  for  thy  strong  right  arm, 
On  which  the  Nation  leaned  secure ; 
Thy  heart  so  tender,  fond,  and  pure, 

That  loved  her  with  a  love  so  warm ; 

And  for  thy  tongue  so  eloquent, 
And  full  of  sweetest  melody, 
Whose  tones  rang  out  from  sea  to  sea, 

Enrapturing  a  continent ; 

Thy  hand  Columbia's  lyre  swept  o'er, 
And  made  all  jarring  notes  agree ; 
Awoke  the  strains  of  liberty 

And  unity  for  evermore. 
354 


OCCASIONAL    VERSES  355 

What  though  thy  body  's  by  the  sea, 
Beneath  the  Pilgrim's  hallowed  hill, 
Thou  ever  livest,  livest  still, 

Enshrined  in  grateful  memory. 

Within  thine  arms  the  Nation  lies ; 

Thy  mighty  heart-throbs  yet  she  feels ; 

And  still  the  same  thy  music  peals 
Throughout  the  land,  along  the  skies. 

Descend,  ascend,  ye  cherubim, 
Upon  the  ladder  of  his  glory, 
And  bear  aloft  to  God  the  story, 

Our  thanksgiving  for  the  gift  of  him — 

TTim  J  him !  Columbia's  greatest  son, 
The  mighty,  glorious,  and  grand, 
Most  cherished  of  his  native  land, — 

The  godlike  and  immortal  one ! 


Addendum 

Testimony  of  Teachers  on  the  Method 
of  Teaching  History  in  the 
Public  Schools 

857 


ADDENDUM 

To  SHOW  the  gratifying  results  obtained  by  the  method 
of  teaching  history  described  in  this  article  (page  38),  a 
few  extracts  from  the  written  reports  of  the  principals  of 
the  schools  are  given  here. 

Principal  G.  A.  Carnahan  in  1881  reported  as  follows: 

"  The  method  pursued  in  teaching  history  is  entirely 
in  accordance  with  your  views  expressed  in  your  last  re- 
port. The  results  have  been  very  satisfactory.  J  have 
been  particularly  gratified  with  the  interest  the  pupils  have 
taken  in  gathering  supplementary  historical  and  biographical 
information.  You  know  from  personal  inspection  of  the 
work  done  by  my  pupils,  and  the  success  we  have  had  in 
writing  historical  abstracts  and  biographical  sketches." 

In  1882,  Mr.  Carnahan  reported  to  me  as  follows : 

' '  The  subject  of  United  States  history  was  excellently 
taught  in  the  A  Grade,  and  has  yielded  most  satisfac- 
tory results.  The  '  topical  method,'  requiring  historical 
research  and  investigation,  combined  with  the  writing  of 
biographical  sketches  and  descriptions  of  historical 
events,  has  formed  the  groundwork  of  the  instruction. 
The  frequent  warm  commendation  of  visitors,  who  ex- 
amined the  work  done  by  the  pupils,  has  been  a  source  of 
much  gratification  to  the  earnest  teacher,  Miss  Henrietta 
Reuschel." 

In  his  report  for  the  school  year  1885-1886,  Mr.  Carna- 
han says : 

"  The  method  of  imparting  instruction  in  the  subject 
of  American  history — the  same  as  described  in  former  re- 
ports— was  used  with  most  gratifying  success.  It  may  be 
justly  asserted  that  the  pupils  studying  history  are  '  im- 
359 


360  ADDENDUM 

bued  with  the  spirit  of  historical  investigation,'  and  are  pos- 
sessed of  a  real  love  of  the  subject.  The  pupils  no  longer 
dread,  the  dreary  task  of  memorizing  answers  to  long  lists 
of  questions.  They  are  not  now  compelled  to  load  their 
memories  with  numberless  names,  dates,  and  irrelevant 
facts  of  little  interest  or  value.  The  instruction  is  now 
made  delightful,  and  the  pupils  seek  with  avidity  for  informa- 
tion from  all  available  sources.  The  small  library  of  refer- 
ence books  and  biographical  dictionaries  in  our  school  is 
almost  worn  out  by  the  constant  use  that  is  made  of  it  by  the 
classes  in  history." 

"It  may  be  truthfully  asserted,"  says  Mr.  Carnahan,  in 
another  report,  "  that  the  old  memoriter  methods  of  teaching 
American  history  have  passed  away,  and  will  never  again 
And  a  place  in  our  schools.  A  more  rational  method  prevails, 
and  the  study  is  now  a  pleasure  instead  of  a  dreaded  task." 

Principal  E.  H.  Prichard,  of  the  Third  Intermediate 
Schools,  says: 

"  The  answers  given  by  the  pupils  show  that  the  teach- 
ers have  followed  a  progressive,  common-sense  method  in 
teaching  the  subject,  and  have  interested  the  pupils  in  a  won- 
derful manner  in  reading  good  books  bearing  upon  the  sub- 
ject of  history." 

Principal  George  F.  Sands,  of  the  Fourth  Intermediate 
Schools,  reports : 

"  I  am  pleased  to  report  that  history  has  been  taught 
in  a  profitable  manner  in  this  school.  The  pupils  were 
intensely  interested  in  the  subject.  In  Grades  A  and  B 
[these  are  the  only  grades  in  which  history  is  taught], 
hundreds  of  historical  and  biographical  sketches  have 
been  written  and  recited  by  the  pupils.  The  principal 
battles  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  and  of  the  Revolu- 
tion were  thus  reviewed.  A  remarkable  interest  has  been 
displayed  in  reading  books  of  history.  In  these  grades  the 
pupils  have  read  about  three  hundred  books  during  the 
year  of  history  and  biography.  I  attribute  this  good  result 
to  the  correct  teaching  of  the  subject.  The  lessons' are  the 


ADDENDUM  361 

most  interesting  in  the  course  of  study.  I  should  very  much 
regret  to  see  the  old  verbatim  method  again  introduced." 

Principal  George  W.  Burns,  of  the  Eighteenth  District 
and  Intermediate  Schools,  reports: 

''  Pupils  were  encouraged  to  read  historical  works ; 
and  the  study,  instead  of  being  dry,  tedious,  and  uninterest- 
ing, has  been  one  of  exceeding  interest,  and  the  pupils  always 
looked  forward  with  pleasure  to  the  hour  for  recitation  in 
history.  Their  demand  for  books  from  the  Public  and 
Mercantile  Libraries  was  for  historical  works  ;  and  they 
took  pleasure  in  showing  their  books  to  the  teachers,  and 
talking  of  what  they  had  read  and  were  reading.  I  am 
more  than  ever  convinced  this  is  the  proper  way  to  teach 
the  subject ;  and  the  intelligence  with  which  the  pupils 
enter  into  a  discussion  of  historical  subjects  shows  that  a 
love  for  such  reading  was  awakened  that  would  have  been 
stifled  under  the  old  plan." 

Principal  R.  C.  Yowell,  of  the  Twenty-fourth  District 
and  Intermediate,  says : 

"  The  subject  of  American  history  has  been  a  pleas- 
ing, entertaining,  and  instructive  study  in  the  A  Grade 
of  this  school.  Abstracts  of  events  and  biographical 
sketches  have  formed  a  leading  feature  in  our  composi- 
tion work  for  these  two  grades.  A  taste  for  better  reading 
is  rapidly  growing  among  our  children.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  the  present  method  may  obtain  generally,  as  the  results 
warrant  us  in  saying  history  may  be  made  delightful,  and 
even  fascinating. 

"The  following  is  only  a  partial  list  of  books  read  by 
the  A  and  B  Grade  pupils  of  this  school,  but  enough  to 
show  the  character  of  the  reading  done  by  children  out- 
side of  school  hours.  Some  of  the  volumes  were  read  by 
as  many  as  fourteen  pupils  (the  number  of  pupils  re- 
maining in  these  grades  at  the  close  of  the  year  was 
sixty-eight): 

"Life  of  Washington,  Life  of  Garfleld,  Life  of  Colum- 
bus, Young  Americans  in  Japan,  History  of  Ohio,  Boys  of 


362  ADDENDUM 

'76,  History  of  England,  Life  of  Benedict  Arnold,  Life  of 
Napoleon  Bonaparte,  Drifting  Round  the  World,  A  Child's 
History  of  the  United  States,  Tanglewood  Tales,  Wonder 
Story  for  Boys  and  Girls,  Life  of  Grant,  Young  Folks' 
Book  of  Astronomy,  A  Child's  History  of  Rome,  Journey 
to  the  Center  of  the  Earth,  Life  of  Mary  Bunyan,  Boys 
of  '61,  The  Iroquois,  Pocahontas,  Hiawatha, Little  Women, 
Old-fashioned  Boy,  Old-fashioned  Girl,  Lewis  and  Clark's 
Expedition  Across  the  Rocky  Mountains,  Boys  of  Other 
Countries,  Alexander  the  Great,  Conquest  of  Grenada, 
American  Revolution,  Heroes  of  Three  Wars,  The  French 
and  Indian  War,  King  Philip's  War,  Rise  of  the  Dutch 
Republic,  Story  of  the  6th  Ohio,  Sweden  and  Norway 
(History),  Lapland,  The  Great  March,  United  States 
Navy,  Patriot  and  Tory,  Through  the  Dark  Continent, 
Boy  Travels  in  China  and  Japan,  Zigzag  Journeys  Through 
Europe,  Zigzag  Journeys  Through  Classic  Lands,  Zigzag 
Journeys  in  the  Orient,  Zigzag  Journeys  in  the  Occident, 
Zigzag  Journeys  Round  the  World,  Women  of  the  Orient, 
Rollins's  Ancient  History,  United  States  History  (Ander- 
son), United  States  History  (Eclectic),  United  States 
History  (Bryant)  in  parts,  United  States  History  (Will- 
ard),  United  States  History  (Ridpath),  History  of  Ohio, 
History  of  England  (Dickens),  Life  of  LaFayette,  Life  of 
Benjamin  Franklin,  Life  of  Peter  the  Great,  Life  of  Madi- 
son, Life  of  General  Marion,  Life  of  James  Monroe,  Life 
of  President  Lincoln,  Life  of  Mary  of  England,  Life  of 
Mary  of  Scotland,  Life  of  General  Fremont,  Life  of 
Beethoven,  Life  of  Haydn,  Life  of  Captain  John  Smith, 
Life  of  Willard,  Life  of  Paul  Jones,  Life  of  Princess  Jose- 
phine, Life  of  Queen  Hortense,  Life  of  General  Custer, 
Life  of  Joseph  Bonaparte,  Life  of  Daniel  Boone,  Life  of 
Queen  Henrietta  Maria,  Life  of  President  Hayes,  Life  of 
Queen  Elizabeth,  Life  of  Alfred  the  Great,  Life  of  Joan 
of  Arc,  Lives  of  Illustrious  Women,  Life  of  the  Tone 
Poets,  Plutarch's  Lives,  Life  in  London,  Building  the  Na- 
tions, Vanquished  Victors,  Old  Times  in  the  Colonies, 


ADDENDUM  363 

Green  Mountain  Boys,  Prison  Life  in  the  South,  Iron  Age 
of  Germany,  Heroes  of  Holland,  The  Pen  and  the  Sword, 
Sights  and  Scenes  in  the  Far  East,  Drifting  Eound  the 
World,  Down  the  Amoor,  The  Ancient  Saxons,  Trojan 
War,  Age  of  Fables." 

Principal  I.  H.  Terrell,  of  the  Fourth  District  and  In- 
termediate School,  in  his  report,  states  that  "the  oral 
examination  of  the  Intermediate  Department  in  history 
shows  that  the  pupils  are  developing  a  taste  for  reading  his- 
tory and  biography  which  can  not  be  too  highly  commended." 

Principal  Geo.  W.  Nye,  of  the  Walnut  Hills— Twenty- 
second  District  and  Intermediate — School,  sent,  in  con- 
nection with  his  report,  the  following  list  of  books  read 
by  the  pupils  of  these  two  grades  of  his  school: 

"Lives  of  Lincoln,  Garfleld,  Webster,  Van  Buren,  Put- 
nam, Washington,  Andrew  Johnson,  J.  Q.  Adams,  Daniel 
Boone,  Wayne,  Franklin,  Longfellow,  Julius  Caesar,  Rich- 
ard  the  Third,  Mary  Stuart,  Wm.  Pitt,  Stonewall  Jack- 
son, John  C.  Calhoun,  Frederick  the  Great,  Robert  Bruce, 
Marie  Antoinette,  Peter  Stuyvesant,  James  K.  Polk,  Levi 
Coffin,  Benedict  Arnold,  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  Charles 
Sumner,  Columbus,  Queen  Elizabeth,  Oliver  Cromwell, 
Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  Philip  the  Second,  Patrick  Henry, 
Lady  Jane  Grey,  George  the  Third,  William  the  Fourth, 
Empress  Josephine,  Charlotte  Corday,  LaSalle,  De  Soto, 
Raphael,  M.  Angelo,  Queen  Anne,  LaFayette,  Charles 
the  Second,  Charles  the  First,  Paul  Jones,  Marco  Polo, 
Joseph  Brant,  William  the  Conqueror,  Warren,  General 
Taylor,  General  Fremont,  Jefferson  Davis,  General  U.  S. 
Grant,  William  Penn,  Sir  William  Johnson,  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh,  Cyrus,  Alexander  the  Great,  Alfred  the  Great, 
Captain  John  Smith,  John  Adams,  General  Greene,  Aaron 
Burr,  Robert  Fulton,  Major  Andre,  Peter  the  Great,  Dr. 
Kane,  and  Lord  Cornwallis. 

"  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  Signers  of  the 
Declaration, and  Musical  Composers;  Histories  of  Rome, 
Greece,  France,  Germany,  Japan,  China,  England,  the 


364  ADDENDUM 

World,  and  the  Civil  War ;  several  histories  of  the  United 
States,  Thalheimer's  Ancient  History,  Prescott's  Conquest 
of  Mexico,  Prescott's  Conquest  of  Peru,  The  Boys  of  '76, 
Motley's  Dutch  Republic,  Carlisle's  French  Revolution, 
Macaulay's  History  of  England,  Ohio  in  the  War,  Los- 
sing's  Home  of  Washington,  Men  of  Our  Times,  Travels 
in  Europe,  History  of  the  Huguenots,  Farragut's  Naval 
Commanders,  Cooper's  Naval  History,  and  Stanley  in 
Africa." 

Principal  Geo.  W.  Oyler,  of  the  Twenty-first  District 
and  Intermediate  School,  states  that  the  following  is  a 
list  of  books  read  by  the  pupils  of  Miss  Anna  Brown's 
room,  Twenty -first  District  and  Intermediate  School: 

"  Anderson's,  Bonner's,  Child's,  Higginson's,  Lossing's, 
Sheah's,  Willaon's,  and  Willard's  Histories  of  the  United 
States.  Also,  the  following  biographies:  Addison,  Blen- 
nerhassett,  Columbus,  Cortez,  De  Foe,  Franklin,  Henry 
Hudson,  John  Hancock,  King  Alfred,  LaFayette,  John 
Milton,  Isaac  Newton,  Robert  Paine,  Pirate  Kidd,  Queen 
Elizabeth,  Preaoott,  George  Stevenson,  General  Schuyler, 
Washington,  and .  Irving.  Also,  the  following  miscel- 
laneous works:  Manufacture  of  Musical  Instruments, 
Glass,  loe,  etc. ;  Whale  Fisheries,  Voyage  to  Cuba  and 
Back,  Glimpses  of  Spain,  Indian  Traits,  Old  Times  in  the 
Colonies,  One  Hundred  Years'  Progress  in  the  Colonies, 
Life  in  the  Sandwich  Islands,  Verne's  Great  Voyages  and 
Discoveries,  The  Tories,  New  York  Prisons  in  1776,  Stan- 
ley's Journeys,  Murder  of  the  Princes,  The  Baby  King, 
LaFayetts's  First  Wound,  The  Fifer  of  Lexington,  and 
Tall  Pines. 

"Many  of  the  above  books  have  been  read  by  two  or 
morel-pupils.  In  addition  to  the  reading  done  by  the 
class,  over  one  hundred  sketches  have  been  recited  from 
memory  in  the  class,  or  prepared  and  held  in  readiness." 

Principal  S.  L.  Miner,  Twenty-fifth  District  and  Inter- 
mediate Schools,  says: 

"  The  history  lesson  is  one  of  the  most  enjoyable  of 


ADDENDUM  365 

the  work.  .  .  .  Short  biographical  sketches  of  prom- 
inent persons  are  read  by  the  pupils,  the  study  of  con- 
temporaneous history  encouraged.  In  their  researches, 
our  carefully-selected  library  is  an  invaluable  assistant, 
furnishing  such  books  as  The  Boys  of  '76,  Life  of  Wash- 
ington, Autobiography  of  Franklin,  Self-made  Men,  Build- 
ing of  the  Nation,  War  of  1812,  Events  in  History,  Story 
of  the  United  States  Navy,  Stories  of  the  Old  Dominion, 
Indian  History,  etc." 

E.  S.  Peaslee,  first  assistant  in  the  Twenty-sixth  Dis- 
trict and  Intermediate  School,  says : 

"  The  great  matters  of  our  country's  history  are  taken 
up  separately  and  in  their  entirety;  as  biography,  the 
slavery  question,  acquisition  of  territory,  inventions, 
etc.  .  .  . 

"Various  works  of  history  are  kept  constantly  on  my 
table,  all  of  which  are  used  by  the  pupils  daily,  and  are 
read  by  me  in  connection  with  the  lesson  of  the  day. 
Compositions  have  been  written  about  distinguished 
men,  and  pupils  have  been  encouraged  to  bring  to  the 
room,  for  general  reading,  historical  articles  from  papers 
and  monthlies.  The  interest  in  the  subject  has  been 
excellent." 


Notes 

887 


NOTES 

1. — Page  13.  "  Thomas  Whittier  was  a  contemporary 
of  George  Fox,  and  appears  to  have  had  much  respect 
for  the  doctrines  of  the  new  Society  of  Friends.  In  1652 
he  was  among  the  petitioners  to  the  General  Court  for 
the  pardon  of  Eobert  Pike,  who  had  been  heavily  fined 
for  speaking  against  the  order  prohibiting  the  Quakers, 
Joseph  Peaslee  and  Thomas  Marcy  from  exhorting  on  the 
Lord's-day.  The  meetings  of  the  Quakers  were  held  in 
their  own  dwelling-houses.  A  petition  against  the  order 
had  been  signed  by  many  of  the  residents  of  Haverhill. 
A  committee  of  that  body  was  appointed  to  wait  upon 
the  petitioners,  and  command  them  to  withdraw  it  or 
suffer  the  consequences.  Some  of  them  did  retract  when 
thus  called  upon ;  but  two  of  the  sixteen  who  refused 
were  Thomas  Whittier  and  Christopher  Hussey,  both  of 
them  ancestors  of  the  poet.  .  .  .  Hia  (Thomas  Whit- 
tier's)  youngest  son,  Joseph — through  whom  we  trace  the 
poet's  lineage — married  Mary  Peaslee,  granddaughter  of 
Joseph  Peaslee,  the  leading  Quaker  in  town,  and  one  of 
the  exhorters  for  whom  Thomas  Whittier  asked  in  vain 
the  clemency  of  the  General  Court  forty-two  years 
earlier." — Life  and  Letters  of  John  Greenleaf  Whittier, 
by  Samuel  Pickard. 

"In  this  alliance  with  the  family  of  a  well-known 
Quaker,  we  recognize  one  of  the  influences  which  led  the 
Whittiers  to  the  new  communion." — John  Greenleaf 
Whittier:  A  Biography,  by  Francis  H.  Underwood. 

2.— Page  20.    The  fact  that  this  provision  of  the  New 
Hampshire  Constitution  of  1850  was  rejected  by  the  vote 
of  the  people,  does  not  detract  from  the  noble  work  done 
by  my  father  in  the  line  of  right,  justice,  and  liberty. 
24  369 


370  NOTES 

3. — Page  21.  The  school  district  in  which  I  was  born 
and  brought  up,  adjoins  that  of  the  poet  Whittier,  and 
one  winter  in  my  early  boyhood  I  attended  school  in  the 
schoolhouse  which  the  poet  has  immortalized  by  his 
poem,  "In  School  Days."  This  poem  was  pronounced  by 
Dr.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  as  the  best  school  poem  in 
the  English  language. 

4. — Page  21.  Among  Mr.  Peaslee's  classmates  are 
Judge  Jonas  Hutchingson,  of  Chicago,  former  corpora- 
tion counsel  of  that  city ;  the  late  Judge  Nathaniel  H. 
Clement,  of  Brooklyn ;  Judge  Jesse  Johnson,  of  Brook- 
lyn ;  Colonel  Thomas  Coggswell,  attorney,  Gilmanton, 
New  Hampshire,  Mr.  Peaslee's  room-mate  at  Gilman- 
ton Academy  and  also  at  Dartmouth  College,  an  officer 
in  the  Civil  War,  twice  candidate  for  governor  of  New 
Hampshire,  leader  of  his  party  in  the  Legislature  of  the 
State;  Addison  H.  Foster,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  physician,  Chi- 
cago, professor  of  Surgery  and  Anatomy,  and  active  in 
college,  hospital,  and  reformatory  work ;  the  late  Charles 
A.  Pillsbury,  the  great  flour  manufacturer,  Minneapolis, 
State  senator,  trustee  of  the  State  University ;  Hon. 
Alfred  K.  Hamilton,  lumberman,  manufacturer,  and 
capitalist,  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin ;  General  Henry  M. 
Baker,  A.  M.,  LL.  B.,  member  of  Congress  from  New 
Hampshire ;  Hon.  Frank  P.  Goulding,  of  Worcester,  Mass. , 
one  of  the  great  lawyers  of  the  State,  trustee  of  Clark 
University  and  trustee  of  the  Worcester  Polytechnic  In- 
stitute, Presidential  elector  in  1888;  Hon.  Charles  F. 
Kittridge,  one  of  the  leading  municipal,  banking,  and 
corporation  lawyers  of  Boston,  former  member  of  the 
New  Hampshire  Legislature,  and  aide-de-camp,  with  rank 
of  colonel,  on  the  staff  of  Governor  Harrison,  of  that 
State  ;  Hon.  Wilder'Luke  Burnap,  A.  M.,  ona  of  the  ablest 
lawyers  of  the  State,  and  professor  of  Jurisprudence  in 
the  University  of  Vermont ;  William  P.  Goodelle,  LL.  B., 
of  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  formerly  the  great  criminal  lawyer  of 
Central  New  York,  now  the  attorney  for  the  New  York 
Central  Railroad;  John  Scales,  A.  M.,  journalist,  editor, 


NOTES  371 

and  proprietor  of  the  Dover  Enquirer  and  the  Daily  Re- 
publican, the  ablest  Republican  papers  in  Southern  New 
Hampshire,  and  no  man  stands  ahead  of  Mr.  Scales  as  an 
editorial  writer  or  general  newspaper  manager  in  the 
State.  Mr.  Scales  is  also  trustee  of  the  New  Hampshire 
State  Normal  School.  The  late  Hon.  Evarts  W.  Farr, 
member  of  Congress' from  New  Hampshire ;  Hon.  Stephen 
Rand,  paymaster  of  the  United  States  Navy.  The  pay- 
mastership  in  the  navy  includes  that  of  quartermaster 
and  commissary  of  subsistence,  an  officejof  great  respon- 
sibility. Mr.  Rand  attends  to  purchasing  guns,  ammuni- 
tion, coal,  and  stores  of  all  kinds  for  the  fleets,  which  in- 
volves, in  times  of  war,  the  payment  of  several  millions 
a  month.  Rev.  Azel  W.  Hazen,  A.  M.,  D.  D.,  pastor  of 
the  First  Church  of  Christ,  Middletown,  Conn. ;  Rev. 
E.  E.  P.  Abbott,  A.  M.,  D.  D.,  Sierra  Madre,  California; 
Charles  Bell  Converse,  M.  D.,  physician,  Jersey  City; 
Amos  W.  Abbott,  M.  D.,  Minneapolis,  eminent  physician 
and  surgeon,  professor  of  Surgery  in  the  Minnesota  Med- 
ical College;  Professor  Homer  T.  Fuller,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D., 
president  for  years  of  the  Worcester  Free  Institute  of 
Technology,  now  president  of  Drury  College,  Springfield, 
Mo.;  Professor  Isaac  Walker,  A.  M.,  principal  of  Pem- 
broke Academy,  Pembroke,  N.  H. ;  Professor  George  W. 
Bingham,  A.  M.,  principal  of  Pinkerton  Academy,  Derry, 
N.  H. ;  Rev.  Joseph  C.  Bodwell,  A.  M.,  Lyndonville, 
Vt.,  an  honor  man  at  Phillips  Academy,  Andover,  elected 
class  orator  at  Dartmouth,  elected  three  years  in  succes- 
sion representative  preacher  for  his  class  before  the  city 
at  Hartford  Theological  Seminary,  installed  pastor  of  the 
First  Congregational  Churches  of  Stockbridge,  Mass., 
Leavenworth,  Kansas,  and  Bridgport,  Mass.  Mr.  Bod- 
well  is  trustee  of  Lyndon  Institute,  Vermont,  and  past- 
chaplain  Vermont  Department  G.  A.  R.  Charles  I.  Par- 
ker, Chicago,  111.,  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Board  of 
Education;  David  E.  Bradly,  A.^M.,  Chicago,  a  success- 
ful business  man,  has  retired  to  take  care\>f  his  accumu- 
lations; Eri  D.  Woodbury,  A.  M.,  first  lieutenant  and 
brevet  captain  First  Vermont  Cavalry,  severely  wounded 


372  NOTES 

while  commanding  a  company  at  Appomattox,  now  presi- 
dent of  Episcopal  College,  Cheshire,  Connecticut.  John 
S.  Cameron,  Salt  Lake  City — 1867,  chief  engineer  of  the 
B.  C.  R.  &  N.  Railway;  1870,  contracting  construction 
railways ;  1883,  assistant  to  general  manager  C.  B.  &  Q. 
Railroad ;  1889,  assistant  to  the  president  of  th  eTJnion 
Pacific  Railway ;  1890,  chief  of  construction  Union  Pacific 
Railway ;  1891,  president  and  largest  owner  Salt  Lake 
Rapid  Transit  Company.  Barton  F.  Blake,  of  Philadel- 
phia, for  years  Wanamaker's  right-hand  man,  now  part- 
ner in  a  large  wholesale  dry -goods  business ;  Jeremiah  E. 
Ayers,  A.  M.,  Denver,  formerly  adjunct  professor  Latin 
Language  and  Literature,  Washington  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania. A.  0.  Hitchcock,  M.  D.  (Harvard),  physician, 
Fitchberg,  Massachusetts;  enlisted  as  private  in  the 
53d  Massachusetts  Volunteers ;  wounded,  losing  sight  of 
right  eye,  in  the  assault  on  Port  Hudson,  Louisiana; 
commissioned  second  lieutenant  in  57th  Massachusetts 
Volunteers,  then  first  lieutenant,  later  captain;  brevet 
major  U.  S.  Vols.  "  for  gallant  and  meritorious  services 
in  the  field ;"  served  one  year  as  aide-de-camp  and  pro- 
vost marshal  on  the  staff  of  General  Nelson  A.  Miles. 
Professor  Aurin  P.  Somes,  A.  B.,  A.  M.  (Princeton),  Dan- 
ville, Conn. ;  Rev.  George  H.  French,  Park  Hill,  N.  H., 
author  of  a  "  Historical  Discourse  of  the  Congregational 
Church  in  Charleston,"  New  Hampshire,  also  of  a  "  Souv- 
enir of  Kimball  Union  Academy,"  of  which  he  is  a  trus- 
tee ;  the  late  Rev.  Bernard  Paine,  A.  M.,  Saybrook,  Qon- 
necticut;  the  late  Rev.  Hollis  S.  Westgate,  A.  M., 
Westgate  P.  O.,  Kansas,  former  principal  of  the  Colum- 
bus (Ohio)  High  School;  Sanford  S.  Burr,  A.  B.,  LL.  B., 
captain  of  the  7th  Rhode  Island  Cavalry,  merchant  and 
inventor,  Chicago,  111. ;  Edwin  Greene,  A.  M.,  LL.  B., 
journalist  and  lawyer,  South  Dakota ;  Rev.  Albert  Bow- 
wers,  Ruggles,  Ashland  County,  Ohio ;  Rev.  Joseph  F. 
Joy,  Frankfort,  S.  Dakota ;  Professor  Maitland  C.  Lam- 
prey, A.  M,,  principal  of  schools,  North  Eaton,  Mass.; 
Professor  George  A.  Miller,  A.  B.,  principal  of  schools, 
Burlington,  Iowa;  Professor  Francis  Savage,  A.  M., 


NOTES  373 

Amesbury,  Mass.;  Frank  A.  Spencer,  LL.  B.,  lawyer, 
Washington,  D.  C.,  George  A.  Weaver,  A.  B.,  lawyer  and 
capitalist,  Urbana,  O. ;  Dr.  Edwin  A.  Knight,  physician, 
West  Newton,  Mass. ;  Frank  A.  Putney,  chief  of  postal 
service,  Denver,  Col.;  E.  P.  Johnston,  A.  M.,  Philadel- 
phia, Pa. ;  H.  E.  Howell,  LL.  B.,  lawyer,  Springfield,  Mo. ; 
C.  W.  Spalding,  banker,  Chicago;  Dr.  Samuel  D.  Dodge, 
M.  D.,  physician,  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  formerly  physician 
to  the  State  Institute  for  the  Blind,  also  city  physician; 
Gardner  C.  Pierce,  M.  D.,  physician,  Ashland,  Mass.; 
Martin  V.  B.  Perley,  A.  M.,  journalist,  Portsmouth,  N.  H. ; 
Colonel  Wm.  G.  Cummings,  merchant,  Clinton,  Iowa; 
severely  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg;  Zeeb 
Gilman,  M.  D.,  Beverly,  Cal. ;  Daniel  'N.  Lane,  A.  M., 
Raymond,  N.  H. ;  Clarence  C.  Moulton,  A.  B.,  merchant, 
New  York  City;  William  H.  Preston,  A.  M.,  St.  Johns- 
bury,  Vt. ;  Isaac  N.  Jenks,  A.  B.,  Northfield,  Vt. ;  Charles 
C.  Marston,  broker,  New  York  City ;  Dr.  Isaac  W.  Hey- 
singer,  manufacturer,  Philadelphia ;  the  late  Dr.  Ephraim 
C.  Meriam,  physician,  Washington,  D.  C. ;  Professor  John 
R.  Blackburn,  A.  M.,  principal,  Evansville,  Ind.,  and 
others.  From  the  Class  of  '63  more  men  entered  the 
Union  army  than  from  any  other  class  that  ever  entered 
Dartmouth  College.  Three  of  its  number  lost  their  lives 
in  the  Civil  War. 

5. — Page  85.  The  attention  of  the  reader  is  called  to 
what  is  said  under  the  subheading,  "  Why  a  Child  can 
Learn  with  Advantage  Two  Languages  at  the  Same 
Time,"  page  208;  also,  to  what  is  said  under  "  Too  Many 
Hours  of  Tuition,"  page  212. 

6. — Page  48.  In  the  Cincinnati  schools,  this  extract  is 
made  the  subject  of  at  least  five  twelve-minute  lessons, 
one  each  day  for  a  week.  Besides  this,  a  little  time  is 
taken  on  Friday  afternoon  to  see  that  the  pupils  have 
thoroughly  memorized  the  selection. 

7. — Page  68.  Forms  to  be  ruled  by  the  pupils  for  all 
written  exercises  originated  in  the  Second  Intermediate 
School  in  1872,  when  I  was  principal  of  that  school,  and 


374  NOTES 

Professor  John  Akels,  the  present  principal  of  the  Second 
Intermediate,  was  the  first  assistant.  They  were  de- 
signed by  Mr.  Akels  and  myself.  The  occasion  which  led 
to  their  invention  was  that  of  the  preparation  of  work 
for  the  Vienna  Exposition,  held  that  year.  The  Board  of 
Education,  on  the  recommendation  of  Dr.  John  Hancock, 
superintendent  of  schools,  had  decided,  some  weeks  pre- 
viously, that  the  Cincinnati  schools  should  prepare  an  ex- 
hibit of  scholars'  work  for  the  Exposition,  and  for  this 
purpose  Dr.  Hancock  announced  to  the  principals  that 
he  would  hold  a  written  examination  of  the  schools  in 
accordance  with  the  rules  prepared,  I  think,  by  the  United 
States  Commissioner  of  Education.  One  of  these  rules 
was  to  the  effect  that  at  the  head  of  each  manuscript  the 
pupil  should  write  the  subject,  the  name  of  the  school, 
and  the  grade  of  which  he  was  a  member;  and  at  the 
foot  of  the  manuscript  his  own  name,  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
and  the  date.  After  Mr.  Akels  and  myself  had  decided 
upon  the  forms  for  the  several  subjects,  permission  was 
obtained  from  the  superintendent  to  place  all  the  items 
at  the  top,  over  the  manuscripts,  as  a  heading.  Copies 
of  the  forms  were  then  handed  to  the  several  teach- 
ers, who  began  at  once  to  give  the  pupils  practice  in 
ruling  them.  This  was  only  a  few  days  before  the  ex- 
amination, but  long  enough  to  make  the  pupils  very  pro- 
ficient in  this  work ;  so  that  when  the  examination  was 
held  their  manuscripts  presented  a  beautiful  appearance. 
The  Second  Intermediate  was  the  only  school  in  Cincin- 
nati, and  probably  the  only  one  in  the  country,  that  sent 
systematically  ruled  work  to  the  Vienna  Exposition. 
After  this,  the  pupils  of  this  school  were  required  to 
rule  their  slates  and  papers  in  a  similar  manner,  and 
to  keep  them  as  neat  and  clean  as  possible.  After  my 
election  as  superintendent  of  schools,  these  forms,  as 
has  been  seen,  were  introduced  into  all  the  schools  of 
the  city. 

8. — Page  70.  After  pupils  once  get  into  the  way  of 
ruling  forms  for  written  work,  and  of  keeping  everything 
in  order,  much  school-time  will  be  saved.  In  the  Cin- 


NOTES  375 

cinnati  schools  all  the  pupils  provide  themselves  with 
double  slates,  and  below  the  grammar  grades — grades  in 
which  home  lesson  on  slates  are  seldom  required — they 
bring  their  slates  to  school  each  morning,  with  two  sur- 
faces ruled  with  pencil  and  ruler  into  the  required  forms, 
and  with  proper  headings  for  two  of  the  morning  lessons 
(the  heading  for  every-day  work  usually  consists  of  the 
subject,  the  name  of  the  pupil,  the  grade  he  is  in,  and  the 
date).  If  there  are  more  than  two  written  lessons,  the 
pupils  use  the  other  two  surfaces  of  their  slates,  which,  of 
course,  are  ruled  in  school,  rather  than  rub  out  their 
work,  which  they  are  encouraged  to  keep  for  the  inspec- 
tion of  the  principal  or  others  who  may  drop  in,  and  to 
take  home  and  show  their  parents.  The  effect  of  this 
upon  the  pupils  is  excellent. 

9. — Page  97.  The  members  of  the  French  Commission 
were  Mile.  Marie  Loizillon,  inspectrice  des  Ecoles  Mater- 
nelles,  and  Mile.  Couturier,  of  Havre.  The  official  re- 
port to  the  Minister  of  Public  Instruction  was  written  by 
Mile.  Loizillon.  It  so  happened  that  they  were  here  at 
the  time  of  one  of  our  Author-day  celebrations. 

Here  I  desire  to  express  the  great  obligations  I  am  un- 
der to  Mr.  Henry  Probasco,  not  alone  for  the  royal  man- 
ner in  which  he  entertained  these  noble  women  at  his 
palatial  residence  in  Clifton,  but  also  for  entertainments 
which  he  gave  other  distinguished  visitors  to  the  schools 
during  my  superintendency. 

10. — Page  109.  Names  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  who 
served  on  committees: 

GENTLEMEN. 

Fred  H.  Alms,  Governor  Charles  Anderson,  E.  H. 
Austerlitz,  Dr.  Joseph  Aub,  Professor  John  Akels,  J.  M. 
Armstrong,  Dr.  M.  J.  W.  Ambrose. 

Hon.  Benjamin  Butterworth,  Governor  R.  M.  Bishop, 
Judge  Clement  Bates,  Hon.  Warner  M.  Bateman,  H. 
Wilson  Brown,  George  W.  Bishop,  Judge  M.L.  Buchwalter, 
S.  J.  Broadwell,  Louis  Ballauf,  W.  T.  Bishop,  Hon.  John 


376  NOTES 

E.  Bell,  Colonel  A.  D.  Bullock,  B.  0.  M.  DeBeck,  David 
Baker,  E.  0.  Boyce,  General  Charles  E.  Brown,  Waldo  F. 
Brown,  Hon.  Samuel  Bailey,  Hon.  Leopold  Burckhardt, 
Hon.  J.  H.  Bromwell,  William  H.  Blymyer,  G.  Bouscaren, 
Hon.  A.  S.  Berry,  T.  F.  Baker,  Samuel  Blair,  Max  Burg- 
heim,  Colonel  L.  H.  Bond,  Major  Flamen  Ball,  Dr.  C.  P. 
Brent,  Hon.   Nathaniel  Bartlett,   Simon   Blair,   Colonel 
Joseph  Bunker,  Colonel  T.  B.  Barry,  S.  M.  Barrett,  Joseph 
R.  Brown,  Elias  Block,  General  W.  H.  Baldwin,  M.  Bauer, 

F.  S.  Brown,  David  H.  Bailey,  Rev.  Dr.  Burnet,  R.  E. 
Barney,  Rudolph  Burgheim  Dr.  Thomas  J.  Biggs,  J.  D. 
Banks,  A.  Bamberger,  Colonel  Milton  Blair. 

General  J.  D.  Cox,  Dr.  P.  S.  Conner,  W.  B.  Carpenter, 
Professor  F.  W.  Clarke,  Judge  John  S.  Conner,  Robert 
Clarke,  Dr.  M.  T.  Carey,  John  D.  Caldwell,  Hon.  Edward 
Colston,  Dr.  A.  L.  Carrick,  Professor  Peter  H.  Clark, 
C.  C.  Cobb,  Samuel  Stevenson,  J.  P.  Carbery,  Hon.  John 
A.  Caldwell,  Captain  William  H.  Calvert,  Judge  Joseph 
Cox,  John  Carlisle,  James  R.  Challen,  A.  J.  Cunningham, 
Professor  E.  W.  Coy,  Professor  G.  A.  Carnahan,  Charles 
R.  Chesley,  W.  S.  Capeller,  Joshua  V.  Coppola. 

Dr.  John  Davis,  Governor  William  Dennison,  Hon. 
Julius  Dexter,  Rev.  Dr.  S.  W.  Duncan,  W.  S.  Dickinson, 
Dr.  N.  P.  Dandridge,  Dr.  William  B.  Davis,  General  A.  F. 
Devereux,  Ex-mayor  S.  S.  Davis,  J.  M.  DeCamp,  H. 
DeCamp,  A.  J.  DeArmond,  Daniel  J.  Dalton,  Colonel 
L.  M.  Dayton. 

Hon.  Benjamin  Eggleston,  Lowe  Emerson,  General 
John  Egan,  Henry  Earnshaw,  General  M.  B.  Ewing, 
Thomas  J.  Emery,  Judge  Charles  Evans. 

Governor  Charles  Foster,  Judge  M.  F.  Force,  Robert 
M.  Fraser,  E.  E.  Foster,  Judge  J.  W.  Fitzgerald,  Hon. 
E.  A.  Ferguson,  Hon.  James  J.  Faran,  F.  T.  Foster, 
Abner  L.  Frazer,  Dr.  H.  H.  Fick,  Francis  Ferry,  T.  H. 
Foulds,  Professor  W.  A.  Fillmore,  B.  Freiberg,  H.  W. 
Fuller,  George  B.  Fox,  Julius  Freiberg,  W.  M.  Ferris, 
Albert  French,  Maynard  French,  Colonel  George  M. 
Finch,  Dr.  F.  B.  Hough. 

Hon.  William  S.  Groesbeck,  Sir  A.  T.  Goshorn,  James 


NOTES  377 

N.  Gamble,  John  A.  Gano,  Virgil  G.  Gilmore,  General 
Kenner  Gerrard,  Dr.  J.  P.  Geppert,  F.  A.  Grever,  J.  W. 
Gosling,  John  Grossius,  Z.  Getchell,  Colonel  Jephtha 
Gerrard. 

Ex-President  R.  B.  Hayes,  Murat  Halstead,  Judge 
Samuel  F.  Hunt,  Fred  Hassaurek,  Henry  Haake,  Judge 
Warren  Higley,  Hon.  John  W.  Herron,  General  Andrew 
Hickenlooper,  Thornton  M.  Hinkle,  Captain  C.  M.  Hollo- 
way,  Dr.  A.  E.  Heighway,  Colonel  William  H.  Hill, 
A.  Howard  Hinkle,  Edwin  Henderson,  Professor  George 
W.  Harper,  D.  E.  Holmes,  Colonel  C.  B.  Hunt,  Joseph 
L.  Hall,  Colonel  M.  L.  Hawkins,  M.  Hollingshead,  James 
L.  Haven,  Captain  W.  H.  Hughes,  Dr.  Hunt  (of  North 
Bend),  W.  P.  Hulbert,  H.  Hemmelgarn,  John  J.  Ho- 
verkamp,  T.  Q.  Hildebrant,  Professor  George  Hall  (of 
Covington,  Ky.),  George  Hafer. 

Hon.  M.  E.  Ingalls. 

Colonel  A.  E.  Jones,  Hon.  Isaac  M.  Jordan,  George 
W.  Jones,  Moritz  Jacobi,  Herbert  Jenney,  Dr.  G.  S. 
Junkermann,  Professor  J.  F.  Judge,  Bishop  I.  W.  Joyce, 
Walter  E.  Jones,  Dr.  George  E.  Jones,  Frank  J.  Jones, 
S.  S.  Jackson,  E.  M.  Johnson. 

Hon.  Rufus  King,  General  John  M.  Kennett,  Jos. 
Kinsey,  Hon.  Josiah  Kirby,  Chris.  Kinsinger,  Dr.  A.  T. 
Keckeler.  Dr.  Keckeler  was  vice-president  of  the  Ohio 
State  Forestry  Association,  and  took  a  prominent  part  in 
the  Arbor-day  celebrations  in  Eden  Park.  Louis  Kramer, 
John  Kauffmann,  Theophilus  Kemper,  E.  L.  Kiddj»Ex- 
mayor  Jacobs,  George  B.  Kerper,  Dr.  A.  C.  Kemper,  H.  G. 
Kennett. 

Hon.  Alexander  Long,  Hon.  T.  D.  Lincoln,  James  H. 
Laws,  Rev.  Thomas  Lee,  Dr.  Rabbi  Max  Lilienthal,  Dr. 
Adolph  Leue,  Rev.  S.  K.  Leavitt,  M.  Loth,  Elias  Longley, 
Hon.  J.  K.  Love,  I.  N.  LaBoiteaux,  Judge  Nicholas  Long- 
worth,  Colonel  P.  P.  Lane,  Joseph  Longworth,  H.  A. 
Langhorst,  William  Lusby,  Jr.,  E.  Levy,  Dr.  George  B. 
Loring,  Clark  Lane,  Right  Honorable  James  Little, 
K.  B.,  Professor  John  H.  Laycock,  Wm.  M.  Litell,  A. 
Lardo,  P.  Larota, 


378  NOTES 

Hon.  John  R.  McLean,  Colonel  Leopold  Markbreit, 
Judge  P.  Mallon,  Judge  Isaac  B.  Matson,  J.  B.  McCormick, 
Colonel  R.  J.  Morgan,  Henry  Muhlhauser,  Colonel  D.  J. 
Mullaney,  Hon.  S.  N.  Maxwell,  Hon.  T.  J.  Mulvihill, 
H.  M.  Moos,  Paul  Mohr,  Robert  Mitchell,  George  Moer- 
lein,  J.  H.  McMakin,  George  W.  McAlpin,  Dr.  John 
Mickleborough,  Hon.  Henry  Mack,  Henry  Marks,  Judge 
John  P.  Murphy,  A.  W.  McCormick,  Otto  Marmet,  Dr. 
Daniel  Millikin,  Joseph  R.  Megrue,  Rev.  F.  G.  Mitchell, 
General  F.  W.  Moore,  Joseph  W.  Miller,  Washington 
McLean,  Hon.  Henry  L.  Morey,  Colonel  N.  H.  McLean, 
Florence  Marmet,  Ralph  C.  McCracken,  Professor  J.  J. 
Maas,  Richard  Mirtz  (of  Juneau,  Wis.),  James  W.  Morgan, 
S.  D.  Maxwell,  Dr.  F.  M.  Mackenzie,  Marion  Mackenzie, 
H.  Meroer,  Robert  T.  Morris,  W.  H.  McCoy,  Captain  G.  H. 
Menke. 

Governor  E.  F.  Noyes,  Professor  A.  Nembach,  Professor 
Richard  Nelson,  Joseph  Niehaus. 

Hon.  William  J.  O'Neil,  Colonel  W.  L.  O'Brien,  Judge 
T.  A.  O'Oonner,  Judge  M.  W.  Oliver,  D.  S.  Oliver,  M.  D. 
Osgood. 

Senator  George  H.  Pendleton,  Henry  Probasco,  E.  H. 
Pendleton,  Hon.  Thomas  W.  Paxton,  F.  B.  Plimpton, 
Hon.  Chester  M.  Poor,  Nelson  Perin,  Professor  E.  H. 
Prichard,  Professor  W.  H.  Parham,  John  B.  Peaslee, 
Professor  Benn  Pitman,  H.  C.  Powers,  E.  W.  Pettit, 
Captain  W.  W.  Peabody,  Hon.  J.  M.  Pattison,  Francis 
Pentland,  J.  J.  Pearce. 

Hon.  Charles  Reemelin,  Major  S.  V.  Reid,  Julius  Reis, 
Judge  Emil  Rothe,  Dr.  L.  Robertson,  General  Michael 
Ryan,  Dr.  Joseph  Ransohoff,  Major  J.  A.  Remley,  J.  M. 
Ray,  Dr.  John  H.  Rendigs,  M.  M.  Reese,  J.  B.  Renner, 
James  L.  Ruffln,  Professor  H.  H.  Rashig. 

Judge  George  R.  Sage,  John  Simpkinson,  Hon.  Richard 
Smith,  Judge  J.  B.  Stallo,  David  Sinton,  General  Louis 
Seasongood,  Reuben  R.  Springer,  Gordon  Shillito,  Vincent 
Shinkle,  Hon.  Amor  Smith,  Albert  Schwill,  Adolph 
Strauch,  William  Sumner,  Dr.  William  Stark,  Dr.  Alfred 
Springer,  Rev.  H.  J.  Stewart;  Samuel  Stevenson,  L.  L. 


NOTES  379 

Sadler,  Joseph  Siefert,  Hon.  Luke  Staley,  Colonel  D.  W. 
Strickland,  L.  Schreiber,  General  W.  B.  Shattuc,  Alfred 
Seasongood,  Colonel  A.  C.  Sands,  M.  C.  Shoemaker, 
Charles  Stewart,  Dr.  James  Scott,  Hon.  Thomas  G.  Smith, 
H.  R.  Smith,  W.  J.  Shaw,  P.  W.  Schneider,  Joseph  Sater, 
George  W.  Stone,  Hon.  Bellamy  Storer,  T.  A.  Snider, 
Elder  W.  G.  Stratton,  Wm.  Storms. 

Judge  Alphonso  Taft,  Judge  William  H.  Taft,  C.  W. 
Thomas,  W.  F.  Thorne,  Dr.  William  H.  Taylor,  Samuel 
W.  Trost,  Colonel  Gustav  Tafel,  George  W.  Trowbridge, 
Dr.  William  Taft,  Charles  Truesdale,  D.  D.  Thompson, 
F.  A.  Tucker,  A.  Torges. 

Hon.  Henry  C.  Urner,  Dr.  J.  W.  Underbill,  J.  C.  Ulery. 

Dr.  W.  H.  Venable,  Colonel  A.  M.  Van  Dyke. 

Dr.  John  A.  Warder,  General  Durbin  Ward,  Reuben 
H.  Warder,  Hon.  Lewis  Wetzel,  Hon.  John  W.  Warring- 
ton,  Captain  J.  M.  Wise,  Dr.  Rabbi  Isaac  M.  Wise, 
General  E.  P.  Wilson,  Hon.  Joseph  F.  Wright,  Judge  D. 
Thew  Wright,  George  Wilshire,  Dr.  C.  O.  Wright,  Rev.  Dr. 
C.  W.  Wendte,  Levi  J.  Workum,  Theophilus  Wilson,  Asa 
W.  Waters,  Colonel  Smith  A.  Whitfleld,  Augustus  Wessel, 
Dr.  E.  Williams,  Professor  E.  S.  Wayne,  Jabez  Waters, 
Dr.  George  E.  Walton,  H.  M.  Warren,  Hon.  Gustav  Wahle, 
David  J.  Workum,  Professor  W.  B.  Wheeler,  Samuel 
Wolfstein,  Henry  Wielert,  Captain  W.  T.  Washington, 
C.  S.  Weatherby,  C.  F.  Wilstach,  General  A.  M.  Warner, 
Edward  Woodruff,  Dr.  J.  M.  Walton. 

Governor  Thomas  L.  Young,  Hon.  John  Zumstein, 
J.  A.  Ziegler. 

LADIES. 

Mrs.  Larz  Anderson,  Mrs.  Judge  William  L.  Avery, 
Mrs.  Judge  Miller  Outcalt,  Mrs.  Brent  Arnold,  Mrs.  H. 
Andress,  Mrs.  John  Allomong,  Mrs.  Professor  John  Akels, 
Mrs.  L.  A.  Ault,  Mrs.  J.  M.  Armstrong,  Miss  Ander- 
son, Mrs.  Colonel  Albert  (of  Newport,  Ky.),  Miss  Carrie 
Autcalt. 

Mrs.  Governor  R.  M.  Bishop,  Mrs.  A.  H.  Bugher,  Mrs. 
Colonel  A.  D.  Bullock,  Mrs.  S.  J.  Broadwell,  Mrs.  General 
W.  H.  Baldwin,  Mrs.  John  Bonte,  Miss  Anna  Brent,  Miss 


380  NOTES 

Anna  Butterfield,  Mrs.  Dr.  C.  P.  Brent,  Miss  Fannie 
Brent,  Mrs.  General  Thomas  P.  Barry,  Mrs.  T.  F.  Baker, 
Mrs.  L.  Black,  Mrs.  Dr.  R.  M.  Byrnes,  Mrs.  John  P.  Bonte, 
Mrs.  E.  Bonte,  Miss  Clara  Brashears,  Miss  Delia  Bur- 
roughs, Miss  Louise  Best,  Miss  Minnie  Brown,  Mrs.  J.  A. 
Bailey,  Miss  Ida  Barker,  Miss  Bertha  Barker,  Miss  Ella 
Baker,  Mrs.  Robert  B.  Bowler,  Miss  Belle  Butterworth. 

Mrs.  S.  S.  Cooper,  Mrs.  General  J.  D.  Cox,  Mrs.  John 
W.  Cotteral,  Mrs.  Dr.  M.  T.  Carey,  Mrs.  Colonel  T.  C. 
Campbell,  Mrs.  E.  A.  Conner,  Mrs.  A.  R.  Clark,  Mrs. 
M.  H.  Crane,  Miss  Lydia  Carey,  Miss  Ida  Crane,  Miss 
Carlisle,  Mrs.  W.  D.  Chipman,  Mrs.  A.  A.  Clerke,  Mrs. 
John  Cochnower,  Mrs.  John  D.  Caldwell,  Miss  Anna 
Clayton,  Miss  Carrie  Cope,  Miss  Mary  Cochnower,  Miss 
Minnie  Clyde,  Miss  Mary  Colburn,  Miss  Kate  Coffin,  Miss 
Annie  Cotteral,  Mrs.  Cutter,  Miss  Ida  Crane. 

Mrs.  Dr.  John  Davis,  Mrs.  Richard  Dymond,  Mrs. 
General  A.  F.  Devereux,  Mrs.  Dr.  William  B.  Davis,  Mrs. 
Dr.  W.  H.  DeWitt  (author  of  a  poem  written  for  the 
occasion),  Mrs.  Dr.  W.  "W.  Dawson,  Mrs.  Colonel  William 
L.  DeBeck,  Miss  Sallie  Dale,  Mrs.  Colonel  L.  M.  Dayton, 
Mrs.  Lambert  DeCamp,  Miss  Carrie  L.  Douglass,  Miss 
Sallie  Dale,  Miss  Fannie  T.  Duke,  Miss  Mattie  Davis, 
Miss  Anna  M.  DeBeck,  Miss  C.  D.  Dolyns,  Miss  Bertha 
Devereux. 

'  Mrs.  Thomas  J.  Emery,  Mrs.  Jacob  Elsas,  Mrs.  William 
V.  Ebersole,  Mrs.  Eaton,  of  North  Bend. 

Mrs.  Governor  J.  B.  Foraker,  Mrs.  Judge  M.  F.  Force, 
Mrs.  Julius  Freiberg,  Mrs.  W.  H.  Forwood,  Mrs.  Francis 
Ferry,  Madame  B.  Fredin,  Miss  Nellie  Fisher,  Miss 
Florence  Foraker,  Miss  Laura  Fisher,  Miss  Kate  Fitz- 
gerald. 

Mrs.  Colonel  John  B.  Gibson,  Mrs.  J.  W.  Gosling,  Mrs. 
John  Gates,  Miss  Nellie  L.  Goodrich,  Mrs.  James  N. 
Gamble,  Mrs.  C.  H.  Gould,  Miss  Julia  Gazley,  Miss 
Hannah  Gazley. 

Mrs.  W.  P.  Hulbert,  Mrs.  Judge  M.  B.  Hagans,  Mrs. 
Judge  Warren  Higley,  Mrs.  Joseph  L.  Hall,  Mrs.  John 
W.  Herron,  Mrs.  T.  T.  Haydock,  Mrs.  Murat  Halstead, 


NOTES  381 

Mrs.  Frank  B.  Hart,  Mrs.  John  B.  Hart,  Mrs.  Colonel 
M.  L.  Hawkins,  Mrs.  Henry  Haake,  Mrs.  James  0.  Hopple, 
Mrs.  Thornton  M.  Hinkle,  Miss  H.  G.  Hunnewell,  Mrs. 
General  A.  Hickenlooper,  Mrs.  Otto  Heinemann,  Miss 
Mattie  Hannah,  Miss  Haydock,  Miss  Sallie  Hall,  Mrs. 
Dr.  H.  H.  Hill. 

Mrs.  M.  E.  Ingalls. 

Mrs.  Major  Frank  J.  Jones,  Mrs.  Dr.  I.  D.  Jones,  Mrs. 
Bishop  Isaac  W.  Joyce,  Mrs.  Colonel  A.  E.  Jones,  Miss 
Emily  A.  Johnson,  Mrs.  Thomas  L.  Jones,  Miss  Jennie  M. 
Jones,  Mrs.  Dr.  George  E.  Jones,  Mrs.  George  W.  Jones, 
Miss  Jennie  Jelke. 

Mrs.  E.  T.  Kidd,  Mrs.  John  Kilgour,  Mrs.  Dr.  A.  C. 
Kemper,  Mrs.  Adam  A.  Kramer,  Mrs.  Henry  Kessler, 
Mrs.  Keck,  Miss  Annie  Kellum,  Miss  Carrie  Kelly,  Miss 
Fannie  Kellum. 

Mrs.  Judge  Nicholas  Longworth,  Mrs.  F.  H.  Lawson, 
Mrs.  A.  S.  Ludlow,  Mrs.  George  A.  Love,  Mrs.  J.  F.  Lar- 
kin,  Mrs.  W.  J.  Lippincott,  Mrs.  David  Lytle,  Mrs.  Robert 
F.  Leaman,  Mrs.  Adolph  Leue,  Mrs.  John  A.  Love,  Miss 
Frances  Lockwood,  Miss  Luella  Latta,  Mrs.  L'Homme- 
dieu,  Mrs.  Rev.  S.  K.  Leavitt. 

Mrs.  Alexander  McDonald,  Mrs.  Lawrence  Maxwell, 
Mrs.  Colonel  C.  W.  Moulton,  Mrs.  Henry  Muhlhauser, 
Mrs.  Isaac  J.  Mack,  Mrs.  Henry  Marks,  Mrs.  Washington 
McLean,  Mrs.  Joseph  McGrew,  Mrs.  Dr.  A.  J.  Miles,  Mrs. 
Colonel  N.  H.  McLean,  Mrs.  George  W.  McAlpin,  Mrs. 
Robert  T.  Morris,  Miss  Grace  Mayo,  Mrs.  Colonel  D.  W. 
McClung,  Mrs.  Mayor  William  Means,  Mrs.  Megrue, 
Mrs.  Louis  Myers,  Mrs.  Sarah  B.  McLean,  Mrs.  Dr.  F.  M. 
Mackenzie,  Mrs.  Marion  Mackenzie,  Mrs.  Richard  Mirtz, 
Miss  Adelaide  Nourse,  Mrs.  L.  Marlin,  Miss  Carrie  Maqua, 
Mrs.  J.  W.  Miller,  Mrs.  Rev.  F.  P.  Mitchell. 

Mrs.  General  E.  F.  Noyes,  Mrs.  Colonel  George  Ward 
Nichols,  Mrs.  Dr.  O.  D.  Norton,  Miss  Dora  Nelson,  Miss 
C.  Neave,  Miss  Netter. 

Miss  Sallie  A.  Owens. 

Mrs.  Aaron  F.  Perry,  Mrs.  Captain  W.  W.  Peabody, 
Mrs.  John  B.  Peaslee,  Mrs.  Joseph  R.  Peebles,  Mrs.  Judge 


382  NOTES 

Price,  Mrs.  M.  J.  Pyle,  Mrs.  Henry  Probasco,  Mrs.  T.  A. 
Pickering,  Miss  Peebles. 

Mrs.  Judge  C.  D.  Robertson,  Mrs.  Dr.  E.  S.  Rust,  Mrs. 
J.  H.  Rhodes,  Mrs.  William  L.  Robinson,  Mrs.  Dr.  L. 
Robertson,  Mrs.  J.  M.  Ray,  Mrs.  E.  R.  Reed,  Mrs.  Ring- 
gold,  Miss  Clara  Ringgold,  Miss  Emma  Ringgold,  Miss 
Marie  Ringgold,  Miss  Ella  Rothe,  Miss  Maria  Rothe,  Mrs. 
Judge  Emil  Rothe,  Miss  Shipley. 

Mrs.  General  Louis  Seasongood,  Mrs.  Dr.  Alfred 
Springer,  Mrs.  General  W.  B.  Shattuc,  Mrs.  John  Shillito, 
Miss  Seeley,  Mrs.  John  Simpkinson,  Mrs.  Murray  Shipley, 
Mrs.  James  W.  Sibley,  Miss  Josie  Stanford,  Mrs.  John 
Shillito,  Miss  Annie  Simpkinson,  Miss  Minnie  Stowe,  Miss 
Jennie  Sabine,  Miss  Sanford,  Miss  Saunders  (of  New- 
port, Ky.),  Miss  Adele  Shellabarger,  Miss  Mamie  Smith, 
Miss  Lydia  D.  Smith,  Miss  Annie  Sampson,  Miss  Elizabeth 
Shipley,  Miss  E.  Sargent,  Misses  Seasongood,  Miss  Sachs, 
Mrs.  Rev.  H.  J.  Stewart,  Miss  Stern. 

Mrs.  Frank  G.  Tullidge,  Mrs.  Joseph  Thorne,  Mrs. 
William  F.  Thorne,  Mrs.  George  H.  Thompson,  Mrs. 
Charles  P.  Taft,  Mrs.  T.  J.  Thurman,  Mrs.  S.  W.  Trost, 
Miss  Clara  Louise  Turner,  Miss  S.  A.  Timberlake,  Miss 
Alice  Thompson. 

Mrs.  Dr.  J.  W.  Underbill,  Miss  Ada  Venable. 

Mrs.  E.  Court  Williams,  Mrs.  Levi  J.  Workum,  Mrs. 
Augustus  Wessel,  Mrs.  Rev.'  C.  W.  Wendte,  Mrs.  Dr. 
Charles  O.  Wright,  Mrs.  Bishop  John  M.  Walden,  Mrs. 
Dr.  E.  Williams,  Mrs.  David  J.  Workum,  Miss  Annie 
Webb,  Mrs.  C.  W.  Weaver,  Mrs.  Captain  James  S.  Wise, 
Mrs.  Dr.  Walton,  Mrs.  F.  P.  Ward,  Mrs.  D.  T.  Williams, 
Miss  Dora  Wilson,  Miss  Jennie  Wood  and  sister,  Miss 
Clara  Weatherby,  Miss  Mamie  Wilder,  Miss  Agnes  Walker, 
Miss  Mary  White,  Miss  C.  Wright,  Miss  Ida  Wiltsee, 
Miss  Sallie  Yoakley,  Miss  Mary  Washington,  Miss  Dora 
Wilson,  Miss  Fannie  Ward,  Miss  Mary  Whitson. 

Miss  Jesse  Zane. 

11. — Page  113.  The  following  are  the  names  of  the 
principals  and  special  superintendents  who  were  present 


NOTES  383 

at  the   meeting,  and  who   assisted  in   making   School 
"Arbor-day"  a  success: 

Normal  School,  John  Mickleborough — Special  Super- 
intendents: Music,  G.  F.  Junkerman ;  drawing,  Henry 
H.  Fick ;  penmanship,  A.  E.  Burnett.  Hughes  High 
School,  E.  W.  Coy.  Woodward,  George  W.  Harper. 
Intermediate  Schools:  First,  G.  A.  Carnahan;  Second, 
William  A.  Fillmore ;  Third,  Ed.  H.  Prichard ;  Fourth, 
George  F.  Sands.  District  Schools:  First,  James  E. 
Sherwood  ;  Second,  Abram  S.  Reynolds  ;  Third,  Charles  H. 
Evans;  Fourth,  Isaac  H.  Terrell;  Fifth,  C.  J.  O'Donnell ; 
Sixth,  Noble  K.  Royse  ;  Seventh,  Peter  J.  Fox  ;  Eighth, 
John  H.  Laycock ;  Ninth,  William  S.  Flinn  ;  Tenth,  H.  H. 
Raschig ;  Eleventh,  W.  B.  Wheeler ;  Twelfth,  John  Akels  ; 
Thirteenth,  August  H.  Bode;  Fourteenth,  John  Scheide- 
mantle;  Fifteenth,  William  Mueller;  Sixteenth,  Benj. 
M.  Weed  ;  Seventeenth,  John  S.  Highlands  ;  Eighteenth, 
G.  W.  Burns ;  Nineteenth,  J.  H.  Hoffman ;  Twentieth, 
C.  C.  Long;  Twenty-first,  George  W.  Oyler;  Twenty- 
second,  George  W.  Nye;  Twenty-third,  Henry  Doerner; 
Twenty-fourth,  Richard  C.  Yowell;  Twenty-fifth,  S.  L. 
Miner;  Twenty-sixth,  M.  S.  Turrill;  Twenty-seventh, 
Lewis  Freeman;  Twenty-eighth,  E.  A.  Renner;  Western 
District,  Peter  H.  Clark;  Eastern  District,  William  H. 
Par  ham. 

12.— Page  114.     "Arbor-day  "  procession  of  1882: 

FIRST   DIVISION, 

Major  J.  A.  Remley  commanding. 

Currier's  Band. 
Mounted  Police,  commanded  by  Captain  Devine. 

Governor  Foster  and  staff. 

Grand  Marshal,  Colonel  Smith  A.  Whitfield,  and  staff. 
Major  J.  A.  Remley  and  staff. 

First  Regiment  Band. 

First  Regiment  O.  N.  G. ,  Colonel  C.  B.  Hunt  com- 
manding. 

Carriages  containing  speakers,  members  of  the  Forestry 
Congress,  and  distinguished  guests. 


384  NOTES 

Band. 

Veteran  Battalion,  commanded  by  Colonel  M.  L.  Hawking. 

George  H.  Thomas  Post,  G.  A.  R. 

Commodore  Foote  Post,  G.  A.  R. 

Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Memorial  Association. 

Tenth  O.  V.  I.  Association. 

Veteran  Battery. 

SECOND  DIVISION, 

George  K:  Duckworth  commanding. 
G.  K.  Duckworth  and  staff. 

Band. 

Duckworth  Club. 

Knights  of  St.  James. 

Knights  of  St.  Patrick. 

Knights  of  St.  Thomas. 

Knights  of  St.  Joseph. 

Knights  of  St.  Maurice. 

Knights  of  St.  John. 
Corryville  Saenger  Bund. 

Italian  Society. 
Great  Western  Band. 

Emerson  Forestry  Cadets,  Hughes  High  School. 
Everett  Forestry  Cadets,  Woodward  High  School. 

National  Forestry  Cadets. 
Longfellow  Forestry  Cadets,  Eleventh  District  School. 

Hawthorne  Guards,  High  School  pupils. 

Webster  Foresters,  Intermediate  School  pupils. 

And  citizens  unorganized. 

13. — Page  127.  At  the  request  of  General  John  Eaton, 
United  States  Commissioner  of  Education,  the  electro- 
plates of  the  pamphlet  were  sent  to  the  Bureau  of  Educa- 
tion at  Washington,  D.  C.  From  these  plates,  the  Govern- 
ment printed  and  distributed  many  thousand  copies  of 
the  work.  Five  thousand  copies  were  distributed  to  the 
Grand  Army  Posts  of  New  York  State  in  the  spring  of  1885, 
and  on  Decoration-day  of  that  year  memorial  trees  were 
planted  in  honor  of  her  patriotic  dead,  in  all  parts  of  the 
State.  That  same  year  the  authorities  of  Quincy,  Mass., 


NOTES  385 

planted,  and  dedicated  trees  in  the  streets  of  that  city, 
to  the  soldiers  who  had  passed  away,  as  I  was  informed  by 
letter  from  a  member  of  the  city  government. 

14. — Page  162.  The  ordinance  passed  Congress  July 
13,  1787,  by  a  unanimous  vote  of  all  the  States.  The 
article  prohibiting  slavery  was  added  July  12,  1787,  by 
Nathan  Dane,  of  Massachusetts,  but  the  plan  of  govern- 
ment proposed  by  Thomas  Jefferson,  in  1784,  contained  a 
similar  provision.  Rev.  Mannasseh  Cutler,  LL.  D.,  of 
Massachusetts,  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Ohio  Company, 
though  not  a  member  of  Congress,  exerted  a  great  influ- 
ence over  the  committee  of  Congress,  and  secured  the 
insertion  of  a  number  of  the  provisions  of  the  ordinance. 

15. — Page  163.  Previous  to  1787,  Massachusetts  is  the 
only  State  that  had  wholly  emancipated  its  slaves ;  but 
Pennsylvania,  Connecticut,  and  Rhode  Island,  in  the 
order  named,  had  passed  laws  for  the  gradual  abolition 
of  slavery. 

16. — Page  165.  This  remarkably  beautiful  letter  of 
Washington  Irving  is  not  printed  in  his  works.  I  ran 
across  it  in  an  old  pamphlet,  in  the  Cincinnati  Public 
Library  ^containing  celebration  exercises  of  1835. 

17.— Page  181.  Mrs.  General  J.  D.  Cox.  General  Cox 
was  the  toastmaster  of  the  evening. 

18.— Page  198.  Professor  Booker  T.  Washington  is 
principal  of  the  Tuskegee  Normal  and  Industrial  Insti- 
tute, Alabama.  Professor  Washington  is  the  only  colored 
man  upon  whom  Harvard  University  ever  conferred  the 
degree  of  Master  of  Arts. 

19. — Page  239.  Some  of  the  teachers  use  numeral 
frames  and  lamplighters,  or  small  match-sticks,  distrib- 
uted among  the  pupils.  During  the  past  school  year, 
1881-1882,  the  Board  has  furnished  most  of  the  primary 
rooms  with  balls — ten  for  each  pupil,  five  red,  and  five 
black — strung  on  a  wire  stretched  across  each  desk  in 
front  of  the  pupil.  I  consider  the  balls  and  wire  superior 
25 


386  NOTES 

to  all  other  appliances.  Of  course,  each  teacher  should 
have  a  numeral  frame,  or,  what  is  better,  have  her  desk 
furnished  with  the  wire  and  balls. 

The  credit  of  introducing  this  appliance  for  teaching 
Primary  Arithmetic  belongs  to  Miss  Ada  M.  Wheeler,  of 
the  Twenty-fifth  District  School,  now  of  Warner  School. 

20. — Page  250.  To  supplement  the  reports  of  the  prin- 
cipals, I  will  state  that  in  May,  1886,  I  found  among  those 
examined  by  me,  a  number  of  very  remarkable  classes. 
In  two  of  these  the  pupils  of  the  entire  class  averaged 
over  eighty  lines,  one  hundred  having  been  the  maximum 
a  pupil  was  permitted  to  read,  and  in  each  of  the  others, 
five  of  the  six  pupils  called  upon  at  random,  read  "Than- 
atopsis  "  and  that  part  of  "  Enoch  Arden  "  found  in  Mc- 
Guffey's  Sixth  Reader,  without  making  a  mistake.  This 
plan  was  first  tried  in  Miss  Emilie  A.  Callaghan's  class, 
Second  Intermediate  School.  Robert  Carrigan,  of  Grade 
E  (Third  Reader),  read  until  he  was  stopped  by  the 
teacher,  for  fear  of  injury,  and  Mary  Finn,  of  Grade  G, 
read  through  the  First  Reader. 

21. — Page  297.  The  Adventure  Galley  was  the  first  cov- 
ered vessel  that  ever  floated  on  the  Ohio  River. 

22. — Page  341.  The  prose  introduction  and  the  verses 
were  originally  intended  as  a  school  declamation.  I  sug- 
gest that  a  pupil  declaim  the  introduction  and  the  first 
and  second  stanzas,  and  that  the  entire  class  or  grade 
recite  in  concert  the  last  stanza.  The  verses  were  set  to 
music  by  Mr.  W.  T.  Porter,  of  this  city,  and  published  by 
White-Smith  Music  Publishing  Company,  of  Boston, 
New  York,  and  Chicago ;  also  by  Professor  John  Yoakley, 
of  this  city,  and  published  by  the  George  B.  Jennings 
Company,  of  Cincinnati ;  and  by  Professor  Joseph  Surdo, 
one  of  the  music  teachers  in  the  public  schools  of  this 
city,  and  published  by  the  Groene  Music  Publishing 
Company,  of  Cincinnati.  They  were  sung,  Professor 
Surdo  directing,  by  3,000  public-school  children  at  the 
National  German  Saengerfest,  July  1,  1899. 


NOTES  387 

23. — Page  343.  These  verses  were  suggested  by  a  visit  to 
the  National  Cemetery  Chattanooga,  Tenn.  They  were 
set  to  a  new  tune  by  Mr.  W.  T.  Porter,  of  Cincinnati,  and 
published  by  the  White-Smith  Music  Publishing  Company, 
of  Boston,  New  York,  and  Chicago.  On  Decoration-day, 
1896,  they  were  sung  in  Cincinnati  Music  Hall  by  upwards 
of  fifteen  hundred  school  children. 

24. — Page  347.  Mrs.  Mary  Peaslee  Gardner  is  my 
oldest  sister.  She  was  born  in  Plaistow,  Rocking  County, 
New  Hampshire,  and  now  lives  in  Haverhill,  Mass.  "  The 
four  little  boys  "  referred  to  myself  and  my  three  broth- 
ers next  younger. 

The  maple-tree  to  which  reference  is  made  in  the 
poem,  is  the  one  which  I  planted  first.  See  page  269. 

25. — Page  249.  Mr.  Edward  S.  Peaslee  is  first  cousin 
to  me.  Mr.  Peaslee  was  born  in  Plaistow,  N.  H.,  but  in 
his  childhood  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  East  Parish, 
Haverhill,  Essex  County,  Mass.,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  Poet  Whittier's  birthplace.  The  brook,  to  which 
reference  is  made  in  the  poem,  is  called  Country  Brook, 
or  Whittier  Brook.  It  runs  from  Peaslee's  Mill-pond 
through  the  "Whittier  farm,  and  empties  into  the  Merri- 
mac  Kiver. 

26.— Page  353.  The  Rev.  William  Carey  Sheppard, 
also  a  native  of  Plaistow,  N.  H.,  is  my  brother-in-law,  the 
husband  of  my  youngest  sister,  Anna  Peaslee  Sheppard. 
He  is  rector  of  the  Church  of  Ascension,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

This  Ode  to  Webster  was  written  for  the  occasion,  and 
read  by  him  at  the  unveiling  of  the  statue  of  the  great 
statesman  on  the  grounds  of  the  capitol,  Concord,  New 
Hampshire,  on  the  one  hundred  and  eleventh  anniversary 
of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  June  17,  1886. 

The  statue  was  modeled  by  Mr.  Thomas  Ball,  and 
presented  to  the  State  of  New  Hampshire  by  the  Hon. 
Benjamin  Pierce  Cheney. 


Index  of  Persons 


A  LIST  of  the  names  of  some  of  the  prominent  de- 
scendants of  Joseph  Peaslee,  Jr.,  will  be  found  on  pages 
13  to  20. 

Names  of  Mr.  Peaslee's  classmates  at  Dartmouth 
College,  on  pages  370  to  373. 

The  names  of  persons  who  served  on  "Arbor-day" 
Committees  in  1882,  on  pages  375  to  382. 

(As  the  Minutes  of  the  projectors  of  the  American  Forestry 
Congress  could  not  be  obtained,  access  was  had,  through  the 
kindness  of  Librarian  A.  "W.  Whelpley  and  his  assistants,  to  the 
newspapers  containing  the  reports  of  the  meetings,  and  while 
great  care  has  been  taken  to  verify  the  names,  there  may  be  a  few 
omissions  or  other  inaccuracies  in  the  lists.) 

The  names  of  the  principals  of  schools  who  took  part 
in  the  "Arbor-day"  exercises,  April  27,  1882,  will  be 
found  on  page  383. 


INDEX  OF  PEKSONS 


NAME,  PAGE. 
ADAMS,  CHARLES  FRANCIS,  225 
Adams,  John, 174 


NAME.  PAGE. 

Brown,  Miss  Anna, 864 

Bryant,  Miss  Julia, 117 


Adams,  jonn, H*    ic''vailL'' i:trJf.a,yullc%' .-.  •  •  ;„,' 

Adventure  Galley,  .  .297,298,886    Bryant,  William  Cullen,  26, 

,  i ,_     •«»     irtrt     ten     .i,,.«      .>..r  v^i    vA    Gti     1  17     1  Vx     IXI 


Agassiz,  Liouis,  73, 122, 163,  316,  826 
Agassiz,  Elizabeth  C.  (Mrs. 

Louis  A.), 303 

Agassiz  Forestry  Cadets,    .  .  303 

Aguilar,  Grace, 196, 197 

Aiken,  Miss, 46 

Akels,  John, 109,874 

Alcott,  Louise  M., 124 

Alden,  Mrs.  Isabella,   ....  127 

Alden,  W.  L 127 

Aldrich,  Thomas  Bailey,   .  .  127    ^  op^co  *?•,• 

Allen,  Frederick 181    Carleton,  Will.  .  .      .  .  .  .  . 

Allibone,  S.  Austin 127    Carnahan,  G.  A.,  .  .  .  93,  859, 


78,74,98,117,123,131, 
163,  157,  291,  810,  313 

Bryant  Tree, 117 

Burnet  Woods  Park, 105 

Burns,  George  W., 861 

Butterworth,  Hezekiah,  .  .  .127 
CALLAGHAN,  Miss  EMILIE 

A., 386 

Campbell,  Alexander,  ....  194 
Campbell,   Ex-Governor 

James  E., 80 

127 
800 


Carrigan,  Robert, 

Cary,  Alice, »i,  ia» 

Cary,  Alice  and  .Phoabe,  73, 

144, 816, 317 

Cary,  Phoebe 123 

Cary,  Samuel  F., 316,  817 

Cary  Sisters, ,  52, 317 

r\. jj^itrtvjn,  u.  «x  \j\j»<t ou*    Cary  Tree, 144 

Atlanta  Exposition, 198    Centennial  Exposition,  .  69,  226 

Atlantic  Monthly, 82    Champlin,  John  D.,  .  .  .  127, 128 

"Autocrat  of  the  Breakfast-          Chaucer, 25,84 

Table," 82,88,292    Cheney,  Hon.  Benjamin 

"Arbor-day"  Procession,  .  .883        Pierce, 887 

Aydelott,  B.  P 193    Cheney,  Mrs.  C.  Emma, .  128,  835 

BAOON,  _FRANOIS, 91    Child,  Mrs.  Lydla  Maria,  .  .128 

Cincinnati  Art  Museum, 


American  Bookseller, 70 

Andrews,  John  W., 332 

Andrews.  Dr., 35 

Angell,  George  T., 76 

Angelo,  Michael, 91, 198 

Aristotle, 201,325 

Arndt,  Colonel, 105 

Appleton,  D.  &  Co., 834 


Bailey,  Philip  James,   ....  91 

Ball,  Thomas, 887 

Bancroft,  George, 78 

Banvard,  Joseph, 127 

Beecher,  Miss  Caroline  E.,  .  194 
Beecher,  Miss  Harriet, ....  193 

Beecher,  Lyman, 193 

Beethoven, 74 

Benjamin,  Park, 90 

BtoknelLDr. 89 

Birds  of  Kllllngworth,   .  .  49, 61 

Black,  J.  W., 74 

Blalne,  James  G., 200 

Boar's  Head, 276 

Boker,  George  H  , 127 

Bolton,  Sarah  T., 127 

Bonner,  John, 127 

Boston  Literary  World,   ...   28 

Boston  University, 184 

Brandy-brow, 285 


.156 
Cincinnati  Art  School,  ...  186 

Cincinnati  College, 195 

Cincinnati  College  of  Music,  186 
Cincinnati  College  of  Phar- 
macy,   185 

Cincinnati  Forestry  Club, .  .104 

Cincinnati  Gazette, 23 

Cincinnati  Law  School, ...  194 
Cincinnati  Normal  School, 

219,  221 

Cincinnati  Society  of  Nat- 
ural History, 186 

Cincinnati    University,    188, 

184, 186,  187, 188 
Clark,  George  Rogers,  172, 173, 

174, 175 
Clark,   Rebecca  S.   (Sophia 

May) 128 

Clay,  Cassius  M., 110 


391 


392 


INDEX  OF  PERSONS 


NAME.  PAGE. 

Clay,  Henry, 78 

Clifton, 105 

Clough,  Arthur  Hugh, .  .  .  .  158 
Common  School  and  Iowa 

Journal  of  Education, ...   69 
Coffin,  Charles  Carleton,   .  .  124 

Coleridge, 46 

Comegys,  C.  G., 194 

Committee  on  Forestry  Ed- 
ucation,     120 

Concord  School  of  Philoso- 
phy,   207 

Conemough  Valley, 196 

Confucius, 201 

Conway,  Moncure  D.,  116,  812,  813 
Cooper,  James  Fenlmore,  122, 822 
Cooper,  Susan  Fenlmore,  822, 823 

Cornwallis,  Lord, 105 

Corryvllle  Saenger  Bund, .  .  884 

Couturier,  Mile., 375 

Cox,  General  J.  D., 885 

Coy,  E.  W., 116 

Cralgle,   "Apothecary  Gen- 
eral,"   169 

Cralgie  House, 169, 170 

Cralgle,  Mrs., 170, 171 

Cromwell,  Oliver, 88 

Curwln,  M.  E., 194 

Cutter,  G.  W., 122 

Cutler,  Mannaseh, 885 

DANA,  RICHARD  HENRY,  .  .  124 
Dana,  Richard  Henry,  Jr.,  .  124 

Dane,  Nathan, 885 

Dartmouth  College,  14, 17,  20, 

21.27,278,873 
DeBeck,  Colonel  W.  L.,  105, 

106, 107, 108, 110 

Dental  Department, 185 

Detroit, 142 

Devereux,  A.  F., 76 

Devlne,  Captain, 883 

Dexter,  Mr.,  of  Boston,  ...  75 
Diaz,  Mrs.  Abby  May,  ....  128 

Dlesterweg, 200 

"  Die  Wacht  Am  Rhein,"  .  .  200 
Dodge,  Mrs.  Mary  Mapes,  .  .  128 
Douglas,  Miss  Amanda  M,,  .  128 

Drake,  Dr.  Daniel 1&5, 198 

Drake,  Joseph  Rodman, .  122, 830 

Draper,  Daniel. 820,  821 

Draper,  John  W.,   .  .  122, 820, 821 

Dryden,  John, 91 

Dustln,  Hannah, 12 

Duycklnck,  Everett  A.  fand 

George  L., 128 

Duckworth,  G.  K., 884 

Dwight,  D.  8., 91 

EATON,  GENERAL  JOHN,  288,  884 

Eddy,  D.  C., 128 

Eddy,  Mrs.  Imogen  Willis, 

314, 315 


NAME.  PAGE. 

Edison, 835 

Educational  Magazine, ....  193 

Eels,  Samuel, 194 

Eggleston,  Edward 128 

Eggleston,  George  Gary,  .  .   .128 

Eggleston,  J.  LJ., 90 

Emancipation-day, 198 

Emerson,  Ellen  T., 801 

Emerson    Forestry    Cadets, 

113,884 
Emerson,  Ralph  Waldo,  21, 25, 

65,72,73,116, 122, 153, 157,  801,  812 
Endlcott,  Governor  of  Mas- 
sachusetts,   810 

Epplng  Park, 125 

Euripides, 83,284 

Everett,  Edward, ...  73, 122,  200 
Everett  Forestry  Cadets,  .  .  384 

FICK,  H.  H., 72 

Fields,  Mrs.  James  T.  (An- 
nie), 125, 153, 155, 157, 158,  302,  303 
Fields,  James  T.,  63,  123, 153, 

155,  157,  158,  303 
Findley,  Martha  (Martha 

Farquharson), 128 

Finney,  Charles  G.,  .  .  .  181, 182 

Flint,  Timothy, 131 

Flynn,  Mary. 886 

Foote,  John  W., 194 

Foote  (Commodore  Foote 

Post) 884 

Fort  DuQuesne, 172 

Fort  Edward, 309 

Fort  Harmar, 297 

Fort  Wayne, 809 

Fosdick,  William  W.,  .  .  .  .  124 
Foster,  Governor, ....  Ill,  383 

Fox,  George, 11,309,869 

Franke, 200 

Franklin,  Benjamin,   .  .  123, 174 

Franklin  Foresters, 114 

Frederick  the  Great, 186 

Froebel, 200 

Fuller,  Margaret, 124 

Fulton,  Robert, 835 

GALE,  MRS.  ELIZABETH,  .  .  61 

"Gail  Hamilton," 201 

Gallagher,  W.  D.,  122,  296,  298,  827 
Gano,  General  John  S.,  ...  80 
Gardner,  Mrs.  Mary  Peaslee, 

848,887 
Garfleld,  James  A., .  .  73, 181,  200 

Gautsch,  Baron, 182 

Oilman,  Arthur,  .  .  .  128,  333,  334 

Oilman,  Caroline, 91 

Gilmanton  Academy,  ...  21, 82 

Gladstone, 97 

Goethe, 74,91 

Goodrich,  Samuel  G.  (Peter 

Parley), 128 

Godwin,  Herold, 117 


INDEX  OF  PERSONS 


393 


NAME.  PAGE. 

Godwin,  Mrs.  Parke, 117 

Grace  Agullar  Society,  .  196, 197 
Grafton.  E.  D., .  .  153, 155, 15(i,  157 
Grand  Army  Posts  of  New 

York, 884 

Grebner,  Constantin,  ....  222 
Greeley,  Miss  Gabrielle  .  .  .  320 

Greeley,  Horace, 122,  320 

Grimke,  Thomas  S.,    .  44, 124, 194 

Grimm, 200 

Groene  Music  Publishing 

Company, 386 

Groesbeck,  Wm.  S., 76 

"G rube  Method," 233 

Guilford,  Nathan, 190 

HALE.  EDWARD  EVERETT,  .  124 

Hale,  Mrs.  Sarah  J., 128 

Hale,  Nathan, 200 

Halleck,  Fitz-Greene,  123, 181, 330 
Hancock,  Dr.  John,  .  195,  254,  874 

Handel, 74 

Hanselmann    Commandery 

Knights  Templar, 80 

Hardacre,  Mrs.  Emma  P., .  .  124 

Harper  Brothers, 321 

Harris,  Dr.  W  m.  T., .  .  25,  200,  207 

Hart,  John  S., 128 

Harvard  University,  .  .  182, 184 
Haven,  Mrs.  Alice  B.  (Cousin 

Alice), 128 

Hawkins,  Major  M.  L.,  ...  384 
Hawthorne,  Nathaniel,  51, 73, 

123. 153, 157 
Hawthorne  Forestry  Cadets,  884 

Hadyn, 74 

Headley,  J.T.,  103, 122, 295,  811,  812 
Hebrew  Union  College, .  188, 195 

Helps,  Arthur, 44 

Hemans,  Felicia  D., 91 

Hengist  and  Horsa, 117 

Hentz,  Caroline  Lee, 198 

Herder, 200 

Higginson,  Thomas  W 129 

Higley,  Warren,  104,  105,  106, 

108, 118 

Hill,  George  C., 129 

1 1 1 1 1  house,  James, 319 

Historical  and  Philosophical 

Society. 187 

Hoadly,  George, 190, 195 

Hodges,  Leonard  B., 104 

Holland,  J .  G.,  51, 61, 62, 74,  90, 

123,  289,  290,  321 

Hollingshead,  Mrs.  R.  M.,  .  .   94 

Holmes,  Oliver  Wendell,  25, 

26, 44, 55, 73, 81 , 82, 83,  89,  90, 

128, 140, 158, 167, 200, 285, 287, 

288, 289J290, 291, 292, 293, 294, 

801,  802,  307,  808,  829,  870 
Holmes  Forestry  Cadets,  .  .  114 
Homer, 181 


Houghton,  H.  O.,  ....  100,  293 
Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.,  .  .  100 

Howells,  W.  D., 123,804 

Humboldt 74 

Hunt,  Colonel  C.  B., 883 

Hussey,  Christopher,  ....  369 
Hutchinson,  Judge,  Jonas,  .  21 
IRVING,  WASHINGTON,  122, 

165,166 

JACKSON,  ANDREW, 200 

Jackson,   Helen    Hunt 

(H.H.), 91,129 

Jay,  John, 174 

Jefferson,  Thomas,    162,  168, 

297,385 

Jennings,  George  B., 886 

Johnson,  A.  B., 334 

Johnston.Howard  A.,  .  .  294,  295 
Johnson,  Rossiter,  .  .  129,  834, 335 

Johnstown  sufferers, 196 

Jones,  Colonel  A.  E., .   .    108, 112 

Judeich,  F., 119 

KASKASKIA,  FORT  OP,  172, 173,174 

Kellogg,  Elijah, 129 

Key,  F.  S., 122 

Kiddle,  Dr., 207 

Kimball,  Mrs.  E.  A., 18 

King's  Mountain   Battle- 
field,     809 

King,  Rufus, 297 

Kinmont,  A., 193 

Kinney,  Coates, 124 

Knox,  Thomas  W., 129 

LABOITEAUX,  MRS.  LOUISA,  28 
Ladd,  Horatio  O.,  .  .  129,  836,  887 

Landy,  James, 74,  75 

Lane  Seminary, 187, 191 

Lanier,  Sidney, 129 

Landseer, 78 

Larcum,  Lucy, ....  122,  819,  820 
Lathrop,  Miss  Delia  A.,  ...  249 
Leue  Adolph,  108,104,106,111, 

118, 119 

Lord,  Dr.  Nathan, 21 

Law  Department  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati College, 195 

Lewis,  Samuel, 191, 193 

Lilllenthal,  Rabbi  Max, ...  108 

Lincoln,  Abraham, 78 

Lincoln,  General, 810 

Lippencott,    Mrs.   Sarah    J. 

(Grace  Greenwood), .  .  .  .129 
Little  Turtle  (the  Miami 

chief), 809 

Lodge,  Henry  C., 129 

Longfellow,   Henry    Wads- 
worth,  25, 26, 83, 49, 52,  73,  90, 
98,  100,  123,  153, 157, 169, 

171,  200,  284,  285,  286,  291 
Longfellow  Forestry  Cadets, 

118,384 


394 


INDEX  OF  PERSONS 


NAME.  PAGE. 

Loizillon,  Mile.  Marie, .  .  .  .375 

Lori  ng,  George  B., 116 

Lossiiig,  Benson  J.,  123,  141, 

808, 811 

Lothrop,  Mrs.  H.  M.  (Mar- 
garet Sidney), 129 

Lowell,  James  Russell,  73, 91, 

123,  153,  158,  291 
Lytle,  Llllle  Egglestoa,  ...  128 

Lytle,  William  H 124 

MANN,  B.  PIOKMAN,  .  .  .317,818 
Mann,  Horace,  78, 123, 194, 200, 817 

Madison,  Wisconsin, 142 

Mansfield,  E.  D., 194 

Marietta, 85 

Marcy,  Thomas, 12,  369 

Markham,  Richard, 129 

Marot, 288 

Massachusetts   Institute   of 

Technology 184 

Matthews,  Stanley, 198 

Matthews,  Thomas  J 193 

McCook,  General  R.  L.,  .  .  .  29 

McCrea,  Jane, 309 

McGuffey,  W.  H.,  .  .  129, 192,  193 
McGuffey's  Fifth  Reader, 
McGufley's  Sixth  Reader, 
Mclntosh,  General,  ... 
Mechanics'  Institute,  .  . 
Medical  College  of  Ohio, 
Merriam,  G.  and  C.  &  Co., 
Miami  Medical  College, 
Mickleborough,  Dr.  John,  22,  249 
Miller,  Joseph  W.,  .  .63, 330, 831 

Milton,  John, 91 

Miner,  S.  L.. 864 

Mitchel,  O.  M., 193 

Monroe,  Mrs.  Lewis  B.,    .  .  .  129 
Montgomery,  James,   ....  90 

Moore,  Thomas, 90 

Morgan,  W.H 259 

Morris,  George  P.,  ....  123, 147 

Morris,  Dr.  E.  D 179. 184 

Morse, 835 

Morton,  J.  Sterling,  .  .  .119,120 

Motley, 73,123 

Moulton.  Mrs.  Louise  C.,    .  .  129 
Mowry,  Dr.  William  A.,  23, 

815, 816 

Mozart, 74 

Miiller,  Max, 200 

Murdoch,  James  E.,    .  .  .  94,  194 

NAPOLEON, 88 

"  Napoleon  of  the  West,"  .  .  175 
National  German  Saenger- 

fest, 886 

New  Hampshire  Legisla- 
ture,   273 

Newton,  Isaac, 90 

Newton,  John  M., 169 

New  York  Advertiser 200 


NAME.  PAGE. 

New  York  Times, 200 

Nichols,  George  Ward,    ...  186 

Nordhoff,  Charles, 129 

Northrop,  B.G 119,142 

Noyes,  E.  F.,  29,  116   tfe,  277, 

278,279 

Noyes,  Mrs.  E.  F 279 

Nye,  George  W., 863 

OBEB,  FRED  A., 129 

Oberlin,  Pastor 142 

Ohio  Educational  Monthly, .  .   85 
Ohio  State  Forestry  Associa- 
tion,   104 

Ohio  State  Forestry  Bureau,   29 
Ordinance  of  Eighty-seven, 
162,  163,  164,  168,  296, 
297,  298,  299,  300,  885 

Oyler,  George  W., 864 

Outhwaite  (Congressman),  .  22 
PACKENHAM,  GENERAL,  .  .  310 

Parker,  F.  W., 225,  226 

Parker,  Edward  H.,  .  .  .323,824 

Parkman,  Francis, 129 

Parton,  James, 180 

Parton,   Sarah    Willis 

(Fanny  Fern), 180 

"  Paul  and  Virginia,"  ....  283 
Payne,  John  Howard.  ...  123 

Peabody,  George, 26,  73 

Peace  of  Paris, 172 

Peaslee,  Edward  S.,  96,  350, 

865,887 

Peaslee,  Joseph,  ....  11, 12, 869 
Peaslee,  Joseph,  Jr.,  .  .  .  .  12, 18 
Peaslee,  Mrs.  Lou  W.,   .  .  80, 847 
Peaslee,  Mary  (wife  of   Jo- 
seph),   11 

Peaslee,  Mary  (daughter  of 

Joseph.  Jr.), 869 

Peaslee,  Reuben,  ...  20,  274, 275 
Peaslee-Garrison  House,  .  .  12 
Peebles,  Mrs.  M.  L.  (Lynde 

Palmer) 130 

Penn,  William 809 

Percival,  James  G.,   .  .  .  122, 830 

Pestalozzi 200 

Phelps,Miss  Elizabeth  Stew- 
art,    130 

Phipps,  Mr., 136 

Philbrick,  Dr.  John  D.,  .  .  27,  69 

Philip  II  of  Spain, 157 

Piatt,  John  J.,  122,291, 293,  826,  827 
Piatt,  S.  M.  B.  (Mrs.  John  J. 

Piatt), 122,  291, 826 

Pickard,  Samuel, 869 

Pickett,Albert, 193 

Pierce,  Thomas, 194 

Pike,  Robert, 869 

Pioneer  Association  of  Ohio,  297 

Plato, 45,  181, 201 

Foe,  Edgar  Allen, 128 


INDEX  OF  PERSONS 


395 


NAME.  PAGE. 

Pomeroy  boy, 63 

Porter,  W.T., 386,387 

Powell,  Thomas, 130 

Prentice,  George  D., 122 

Prentiss,  Mrs.  Elizabeth 

(Aunt  Susan), 130 

Prescott,  William   Hicking, 

73, 122,  153,  157 

Prichard,  E.  H 860 

Princeton  University, ....  183 

Probasco,  Henry, 875 

Public  and   Mercantile   Li- 
braries,   187 

Purcell,  John  B., 194 

Putnam,  Rufus, 161 

QUAKERS, 11,12,13,369 

Quincy,  Massachusetts,  .  .  .  884 
KADOLIFFE  COLLEGE,  ....  182 

Raphael, 198 

Rashig,  Herman  H., 116 

Ray,  Joseph, 130, 192, 193 

Raymond,  Jarvis, 200 

Read, Thomas  Buchanan,  90, 

123, 155,  818,  314 
Read,  Mrs.  Harriet  Denni- 

son, .'  .  .  .   .  218,  214 

Remley,  Major  J.  A., 383 

Reuschel,  Miss  Henrietta, .  .  859 
Richardson,  Charles  F.,  .  .  .  180 
Richardson,  Mrs.  Abby 

(Sage) 180 

Rickoff,  Andrew  J.,  .  .  .195,2(18 

Rookwood  Pottery, 187 

Rothe,  Emil, 106,108.117 

Royal   Forest    Academy  of 
Tharandt,  Saxony,    .  .  .  .  118 

Rural  Hours, 322 

Russell,  Mrs.  Mary  H.,    .  818, 819 

Rye  Beach 276 

SANDS,  GEORGE  F., 860 

Saxe,  John  G., 180 

Schiller, 74,200,201 

Scott,  Walter, 44 

School  of  Ceramics, 187 

Schurz,  Carl 218 

Scudder,  Horace  E., .  .  .  130,336 
Sealsfleld  (Karl  Postal),  .  .  123 

Sebago  Lake, 801 

Semitic  Department,  ....  185 
Shakespeare,  William,  .74,90,98 
Sheppard,  William  Carey, 

854,887 

Hheppard,  Mrs.  Anna  Peas- 
lee 887 

Sigel,  Franz 218 

Sigourney,  .Mrs.  Lydia   M., 

123, 194,  818,  819 

Simms,  William  Gllmore, .  .124 
Slmpklnson,  John,  .  107, 108, 109 

Skinner,  H.  P., 131 

"  Snow  Bound,*' 48, 51 


NAME.  PAGE. 

Sokokis  Indians, 301 

Sparks,  Jared, 128 

Spofford,  Mrs.  Harriet  (Pres- 
cott),   130 

Sprague.  Charles, 124 

Spring  Grove  Cemetery, ...  106 

Stallo,JohnB., 200 

Stedman,  E.G., 122 

"  Steuben  Oaks," 116 

Steuyvesant,    Governor    of 

New  York, 810 

Stockton,  Frank  R., 130 

Stoddard,  W.  O., 130 

Storer,  Bellamy 194 

Stowe,  Mrs.  Harriet  Beecher, 

123,  194,  201,  224,  804,  305 
Stowe,  Calvin  E.,  191,  192, 

193,224 

St.  Pierre,  Bernardin  de,  .  .283 
St.  Vincents,  Fort  of,  .  .  172, 174 
St.  Xavier  College, .  .  .  .  188 
Strauch,  Adolph,  .  .  104, 118, 121 
Sullivan,  Christina  J., .  .  .74,75 
"  Sun  and  Shadow,"  ...  81, 100 
Sumner.  Charles, .  .  .  60, 123,  200 
Surdo,  Professor  Joseph,  .  .  88(5 

Swain,  Charles, 91 

Swift,  Jonathan, 91 

TALBOTT,  JOHN  L., 193 

Taylor,  Bayard, 122 

Telford,  Charles  L., 193 

Thackeray,  William  Make- 
peace,   92 

Tharandt's  Heilige  Hallen, .  119 

Thaxter,  Mrs.Celia, 180 

Thayer,  William  M., 181 

Thor,  Asa, 117 

Tennyson,  Alfred, 74 

Terrell,  I.  H., 863 

Thoreau, 128 

Timmins,  Thomas, 76 

"  Timothy  Titcomb," 51 

Towle,  George  M., 181 

Trowbridge,  J.T., 131 

Tuckerman,  Henry  T., .  .  .  .  124 

Tufts  College, 184 

Tuthlll,  Mrs.  Louisa  C.,  .  .  .  131 
UNDERWOOD,  FRANCIS  H., 

181,  869 
University    Department    of 

Law, 185 

VALLEY  FORGE, 112 

Van  Antwerp,  Lewis,    ....  156 

Vaughn,  Daniel, 194 

Venable,  W.  H.,  24, 91, 106, 108, 

116,  123,  156,  290,  291,  805 
Von  Steuben,  Frederick,  .  .  105 
Von  Steuben,  General,  .  105, 116 
Von  Steuben,  Richard,  105, 

107, 117 
Von  Wagner,  Kate  Holland,  821 


396 


INDEX  OF  PERSONS 


WAGNER,  RICHARD, 74 

Walker,  Timothy, 198 

Ward,  Durbin, 116 

Warder,  John  A.,  104,  106, 107, 

109,  119 

Warder,  Reuben  H., 107 

Warner,  Charles  Dudley,  .  .  124 
Washington,  George,  88,  54, 

73,  92,  105,  131,  169, 
175,  219,  809,  834,  385 

Washington  Elm 146 

Washington,  Booker  T.,  198, 885 

Watson,  Henry  C., 131 

Wayne,  Anthony, 309 

Webster,  Daniel,  26,  44,  73,  74, 

75,  76,  123,  200,  &54,  387 

Webster  Foresters 384 

Webster,  Noah,  .  122,  327,  328,  329 

Weed,  Benjamin  M., 92 

Westlake,  J.W 131 

Wheatley,  Phlllis, 123 

Wheeler,  Miss  Ada  M.,  .   .  .  .  886 
Whlpple,  E.  P.,  .  .  66, 122,  324,  325 

Whlpple  and  Black, 74 

White,  E.  E., 259,  261 

White-Smith  Music  Pub- 
lishing Company, .  .  .886,  887 
Whitfleld,  Colonel  Smith  A.,«883 
Whitney,  Mrs.  A.  D.  T.,  .  .  .  131 

Whlttier  Foresters, 114 

Whittier,  Thomas, 869 


NAME.  PA&E. 

Whittier,  John  Greenleaf,  18, 
25,  26,  48,  51,  52, 73, 90, 100, 128, 
188,  153,  167, 198,  265,  276,  277, 
278,  283,  284,  280,  287,  288,  291, 

294,  300,  301,  369,  370,  387 

Willard,  Mrs., 78,201 

Williams,  Milo  G., 198 

Willis,  Nathaniel  P.,  128,  130, 

158,  158,  314 
Willets,  Harriet  Atwood,  .  .   20 

Willets,  Richard, 20 

Willmott, 46 

Wilson,  James  Grant,  181,829, 330 
Winthrop,  Robert  C.,  ....  97 
Wise,  Rabbi  Isaac  M.,  .  .  .  .195 

Wiswell 156 

Witt,  Otto  N., 187 

"  Wonder  Book," 51 

Woodward  ("Old  Wood- 
ward"),   191,192 

Woodward,  William,    ....  191 
Woolsey,  Mrs.  Sarah  C.  (Su- 
san Coolidge), 131 

Worcester, 122 

Wright,  Hon.  Joseph,  ....   SO 

Wright,  Lou, 80 

Wyandot  Indians, 172 

YOAKLEY,    PROFESSOR 

JOHN, 886 

Yowell,  R.  C., 154,  361 

ZOOLOGICAL  GARDEN,  .  .  186, 199 


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